Twilight: Unfrozen Moon
by amateurwriter21
Summary: Leah comes back to Forks four years after the almost deadly showdown between her pack, the Cullens, and the Volturi. She is a changed woman in more ways that one. Everybody notices her change, especially one pack member in particular. The last man she ever thought she would be with turns out to be her soulmate.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in the following story. This was only for fun._

 **Twilight: Unfrozen Moon**

Chapter 1

Leah sighed as she looked out the little window next to her seat. The ground below looked like large patches of green and brown. It was as if a giant quilt had been laid out underneath the plane. She smiled as she realized that the green patches were coming more often than the brown.

 _I'm getting closer to Forks!_ Leah thought excitedly.

Leah had left her mother, brother, and home town four years earlier. After the almost deadly showdown between her pack, the Cullens, and the Volturi, Leah knew she needed to get away from that world. She never enjoyed being one of the wolves because it made her feel like less of a woman. When she was one of them, her body froze. She stopped changing, growing older, and having periods. Then, of course, there was the whole imprint issue that came along with being a wolf. Almost everyone in her pack had imprinted, including her first love Sam. Sam imprinted on her own cousin, Emily. Unfortunately, it seemed that Leah was the only one who couldn't imprint. To avoid looking and feeling like the pathetic ex-girlfriend who also happened to turn into a giant dog, Leah removed herself from everything and everyone.

As it turned out, moving to southern California was the best decision that Leah had ever made. She found work in an office supply store and went to a community college where she took business classes. In her free time she took yoga classes. The yoga helped her keep her anger outbursts under control. After a year, she had completely stopped turning into her wolf form. She felt absolutely delighted and whole again. Three years after that she received her degree and decided to temporarily go back home while she planned out her next move. She wanted her own little business, but she wasn't sure what kind yet.

When the plane touched down at a little airport just outside Forks, Leah looked out the window again. She spotted her mother and her husband, Charlie, at the far end of the tarmac. She smiled and felt as if she might cry because she hadn't seen her mother, or brother for that matter, in over a year. She missed them so much, but was happy that her mother had Charlie in her life.

"Leah, my girl! I've missed you!" Her mother squealed as she wrapped Leah in a tight hug.

"I missed you too, mom." Leah said as she laid her head on her shoulder.

"Welcome back, Leah." Charlie greeted when the mother and daughter broke apart.

"Thanks, Charlie. It's good to see you."

As soon as Leah and Charlie got all her bags packed in the trunk, they were on their way back to Forks. Leah pulled out her degree and showed her mother as she described the whole ceremony.

"It was wonderful! All of us in in our caps and gowns. It wasn't held at any place special like a graduation from a big university, but it was all still beautiful."

"I wish I could have been there." Her mother said sadly as she passed Leah's degree back to her.

"It's totally fine, mom. We have the whole summer together though!"

"I plan on spending every available minute with you, but I know you still need your privacy so I got those guys who were renting the house on the reservation to move out a bit early. The whole place is yours."

"Cool. Thanks!"

When they got into town they all stopped to eat some dinner and after words Charlie drove her home. She said her good-byes and good-nights to her mom and stepdad and watched them drive away. When their car was out of sight Leah turned and walked into the house. Her two suitcases and duffle bag were piled in the living room. She sighed with tiredness, grabbed her duffle bag, and trudged up to her old bedroom.

Tomorrow there will apparently be a welcome home party for her. It is going to be held at Sam and Emily's house, but Leah was not sure how she felt about that yet. She was completely over Sam, but she hadn't spoken to Emily or the pack in four years. There is a great possibility there would be some awkwardness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Five straight days of working on cars had finally caught up with Embry. He stretched his sore arms above his head and let out a tired groan. His coveralls were greasy and his hair was a mess, but he still had to endure one last thing before he could fall onto his comfortable bed and sleep for two days. He had to go to Leah Clearwater's welcome home party.

"Yo!" Jacob Black called at him from across the garage. "Come on, let's go home to change before going to Sam's."

"Alright." Embry huffed and followed Jacob out.

A few months after high school graduation Embry and Jacob agreed to be roommates. They moved into a two bedroom one bath house located a little ways down from Jacob's dad's house. After a year of working and saving money Embry, Jacob, Quil, and Seth saved enough to open their own garage. It was an instant success because until then all the residents on the reservation had to drive into Forks to get repairs done on their cars or trucks.

"So have you seen Leah yet?" Embry asked as he drove his white Subaru WRX out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

"Nah. She just got in yesterday evening." Jacob answered.

"I'm not exactly excited about this party. Last time we all saw Leah she hated our guts and she made things miserable."

"Come on. Being a part of the pack was never Leah's thing. Besides, people can change. Let's just wait and see." Jacob reasoned and Embry had to agree.

About an hour and a half later, Jacob and Embry walked into Sam and Emily's house. Standing in the kitchen, stirring a pot, and holding her one year old son was Emily. She smiled and told them to go to the backyard. Out there a good size get together was in full swing. Everybody was there; Mrs. Clearwater and her new husband Charlie, Jared and his fiancé Kim, Paul, Quil, Seth, Billy Black, Rachel Black, and of course the hosts of the party, Emily and Sam. The only person Embry had not spotted yet was the person they were all here for, Leah.

"Hey, Billy." Embry greeted his friend's father as they approached.

"Hello, boys. How's the mechanics business lately?" Billy asked casually.

They all grabbed beers and began talking. This was normal; just the pack hanging out, chatting, joking, and drinking beers, yet there was something different in the air. Embry could not quite put his finger on it. His heart pounded a little bit quicker and he felt goose bumps on his arms. He looked at his friends to see if they felt it too, but they looked as relaxed and happy as ever.

 _Odd. Am I excited? About what?_ Embry thought in confusion.

"Ah-ha! There she is. I knew she was walking around here somewhere." Billy said suddenly and pointed at the opposite side of the yard.

Everybody looked in the direction Billy pointed in. That's when Embry spotted Leah Clearwater and everything changed. It was like all of the light shined on her only. The rest of the world faded from view. All strings that kept him tied to this life were cut away while a new line formed between him and Leah. She was the only thing that kept him tied to life now. She was the only thing that mattered.

Leah was beautiful. There was no denying that Leah had always been an attractive girl, but she was somehow different now. Her soft, dark, shoulder-length hair moved in the breeze. The sight of her soft, full lips and almond shaped eyes made his mouth fall open. She made even the most casual look of skinny jeans and a pale green blouse look incredibly sexy. All Embry wanted in this moment was to hold her close to him and breathe in her scent.

 _Oh my god. What is this?_ Embry thought in confusion, _I've never felt this before. Did…did I imprint on Leah?!_

"Hey bro, what's the matter?" Jacob asked. He slapped Embry on the back which made him jump. "You look weird."

"Uh, yeah." Embry answered quickly, "I do have a little stomach ache. It's just been a long week."

"Yeah I hear ya. I am beyond tired. Let's go talk to Leah, then we could leave." Jacob said as he began walking towards the one person Embry wanted to avoid at the moment.

Leah was chatting with her brother, Emily, and Sam. Embry was surprised to see that Leah was giving Emily a genuine smile as she listened to her cousin speak. It looked like all the old tension and drama in that love triangle had disappeared. This pleased Embry.

As Jacob and Embry approached the other four, Leah turned her focus on them. In the three seconds that Embry and Leah made eye contact, Embry felt his heart rate speed up again. He tried to keep calm and gave her his famous sexy, lazy smile.

"Well, well, well." Leah said happily to them. "Jacob Black and Embry Call. It's good to see you guys again."

"Leah, it's good to have you back." Jacob said as he opened his arms to her.

Embry had to bite down on his tongue and look away as Jacob hugged Leah. He had the overwhelming urge to shove Jacob away.

"You look different." Jacob commented as he released Leah.

"Oh. Good I hope?" She asked and laughed nervously.

"Of course good." Jacob laughed, "You look happier too."

"It's amazing what getting a life can do for you." She joked and they all laughed with her.

An hour later, Embry quickly buckled his seat belt and tore out of the Uley's driveway. He needed to get away from that party no matter how badly he wanted to stay and stare at Leah. This was new and horribly confusing to him.

"Woah, dude!" Jacob yelled as Embry punched it. "What the hell?"

"Sorry. I just need to get home. I'm not feeling well."

Embry laid awake in his bed. He stared up into the darkness feeling anxious. All he could think about was Leah. Her full lips and chocolate colored eyes were images that were forever burned into his brain.

 _How did this even happen? I've seen her a thousand times in the past and never imprinted on her. Something big must have changed. But what? Oh geeze! I can't change back into wolf form for a while. I don't want the whole pack knowing about this yet. Ugh, what am I going to do?_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Leah breathed in and out slowly as she bent from one position to the next. Even though she was on vacation she was not going to skip her morning yoga sessions. She may have been able to get away with skipping sessions back in California, but not here. Not where vampires lived nearby and a huge pack of shape-shifting wolves roamed the reservation. She listened to the local news report as she went into her last few poses and was surprised to hear that it was going to be unusually warm out today.

As she rolled up her yoga mat her cell phone buzzed. She picked it up and smiled when she saw a text from her cousin, Emily.

'Come with us to La Push beach today. You and I can hang out while the guys play Frisbee. Noon?' –Emily

Leah thought about it and replied her agreement to go. She walked upstairs to her bedroom and deposited her yoga mat in the closet. Next she pulled out the two bikinis that she owned. One was a pink stringy bikini and the other was a white halter with white low-rise bikini bottoms. She decided the white bikini was more appropriate for La Push beach. After picking out what she would wear, she decided to shave her legs. Soon she was dressed and ready to go.

…..

Leah switched off the car and stared out at the beach. It took a minute, but she finally spotted Emily and Sam spreading blankets and towels out on the sand while their little boy played with a little plastic shovel. Further out on the beach she saw Jacob, Quil, Embry, Seth, and Jared already playing a game of Frisbee. She sighed and got out of the car. None of them had ever seen Leah in a bikini before and for some reason she felt nervous about it. She knew she had a great body, but these guys were always like annoying little brothers to her (except that Seth actually was her brother) so she felt odd showing off her body like this in front of them.

"Leah! You made it!" Emily greeted her happily.

"Yeah. It's such a warm day, so why not?" Leah laughed nervously.

"Well you and Emily have fun." Sam said as he stood up. "I'm off to win this game."

Leah watched him walk away before turning to her cousin, who was smiling at her still. She patted the towel next to her.

"Come on and sit. And don't you want to take off your sweats? That bikini top is so cute. Why not show off the whole thing?"

"Oh I don't know. It feels kind of odd." Leah replied uncertainly.

"Leah you are in great shape. The guys aren't going to say anything bad to you. Believe it or not they grew up a bit."

When Leah didn't respond, Emily added, "If I gave birth and still wear a bikini to the beach, then you can definitely wear a bikini."

Leah rolled her eyes and laughed. Emily had a point. She hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her sweats and shoved them down revealing her bikini bottoms. As she stepped out of the sweatpants she heard one of the guys suddenly yelp in pain. She looked over in surprise and saw Embry laying in the sand rubbing his head.

"Pay attention, Call, or you're going to get hit with the Frisbee again!" Quil laughed and jogged away from Embry.

Leah watched Embry sit up and rub the side of his head. He stood up and glanced at her. Their eyes met and she grinned politely at him. He gave an awkward wave and quickly turned away.

"That was odd." Leah commented as she sat down next to her cousin.

"Oh, yeah, apparently he's been acting weird for a few days now." Emily said as she passed Leah one of her magazines. "Probably trouble with his latest girlfriend."

The two cousins talked and played with Dakota (Emily and Sam's baby boy). Leah absolutely loved little Dakota. He was the perfect mix of his parents and was the happiest baby she had ever met. He squealed with laughter very time he smacked the sand with the plastic shovel. After a while he started pointing and crawling towards the water.

"I'm going to go hold him by the water for a few minutes. He loves playing in water." Emily said as she stood up. "Want to come?"

"Nah. I'm going to relax here."

Leah watched her cousin leave before laying down. She yawned, closed her eyes, and stretched her arms above her head. It had actually been a really good day so far. She was glad she decided to come home for the summer.

"Uh, hey." Came a male voice from somewhere by her feet

Leah opened her eyes to find Embry standing there. He looked a bit awkward as he watched her. His forehead and bare chest were drenched in sweat.

"Hey." Leah replied and sat up again. "What's up?"

"Just needed a break from their crazy-ass game." He said as he sat down in the sand. He sat facing her, his back to his friends, and grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler.

"How's your head?" She asked as she brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them casually.

"Oh it's fine. You know how we are with sports."

"Yeah, like animals." Leah said and laughed. Embry laughed with her.

"So are you enjoying being back here?" Embry asked curiously.

"I am, actually. It's great having Emily back as my cousin and friend. And yesterday I helped my mother in her diner. It's been great so far."

"Aw, you're not happy to see the rest of us?" He joked, but something in his face looked slightly hurt.

"It's great to see you guys too. Even though when I was last here we all didn't along so well."

"Time fixes a lot of issues I guess. So are you going to run patrols with us while you're here?"

"Oh god no." Leah responded seriously. "I don't do that anymore."

"Do what?" Embry asked in confusion.

"I don't shape-shift anymore. I haven't in over three years."

Embry's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "You don't shape-shift anymore? How?"

"Yoga. It's helped me keep my anger in check. It took a while but I finally stopped transforming."

"Woah. No wonder why you look so different. In a good way. You look great." He said quickly and smiled.

She let out an awkward laugh and so did he. He patted her foot, but as their awkward laughs died down he left his hand resting there. His face fell and he looked away. She watched as an unfamiliar look came across his face. His hot skin was beginning to warm her foot and she found that she didn't mind his touch as much as she expected. It felt nice, but this whole situation had gotten really weird. Plus, why the hell was Embry Call touching her?

"Uh, are you alright?"

"Oh!" He said and removed his hand. "Yeah. Sorry. Something just came to mind."

"What are you guy's talking about?" Emily asked as she sat down with Dakota.

"Nothing much." Embry answered casually and downed his water.

"Listen, I should get going." Leah announced. "I promised my mom that I'd go shopping with her."

"Oh, but it's only been an hour and a half!" Emily pouted.

"Sorry. I'll see you all later though." Leah told them as she stood and collected her things.

"Okay. I'll text you." Emily said and waved good-bye.

"See you later, Leah." Embry said. His eyes seemed to never leave her.

…..

"Aw, I'm so glad I have you here!" Leah's mother gushed as they unloaded the car in the diner parking lot.

"I can't miss shopping for salt and pepper shakers!" Leah said sarcastically and laughed.

"Hey! The diner needed new salt and pepper shakers. And now you get to fill them while I help out the one waitress who is working tonight."

"What happened to your other two waitresses?"

"It's a Tuesday night. If it's slow I usually let them go home early. If Donna doesn't need my help, then I go in the office and count the tills."

Leah followed her mother inside. There were only four families eating in the diner, so Leah sat down at a booth near the door. Her mother brought her the large canisters of salt and pepper, and left Leah to it. Leah yawned as she took the new shakers out of the bags and set them up on the table. She decided it would be a good idea to wipe them out before filling them, so she retrieved a clean cloth from behind the counter and went to work.

After twenty minutes of cleaning and dividing up the shakers, Leah was beginning to feel tired and bored of it. A small bell above the doors announced that somebody entered the restaurant, but she didn't bother looking because Donna seemed to be on the ball tonight.

"Well, hello." Came an amused sounding voice.

Leah looked up to see Embry Call standing next to her booth. He wore a mischievous smile and casually leaned against her table. She glanced back at the doors expecting to see the whole pack standing there, but nobody else was with him. Looking back at him, she raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's going on, Call?" She asked, using his last name. "Are you meeting the guys here?"

"Nope. I was just hungry and so I stopped in. What are you doing?" He asked and gestured at all the little shakers in front of her.

"What's it look like? Filling the new salt and pepper shakers for my mom." She answered as she grabbed another shaker and began filling it with salt.

"Okay," He said as he sat down across from her. "I'll help ya."

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that."

"I want to." He said this with such seriousness that she didn't argue any further.

Leah handed him the pepper canister and shoved half the empty shakers toward him. He gave her a lazy, side-ways smile and got to work. Rolling her eyes, she went back to her own shakers.

"Tell me about life in California." Embry said after a couple of silent minutes.

"Oh, um…" She started. She wasn't expecting him to ask. "Well, it's warm there all the time. I probably went to the beach like every weekend. I even learned to surf."

"You learned how to surf?" He asked in amused disbelief.

"Yes, I did." She retorted and squinted her eyes at him.

Embry didn't respond, he just smiled and waited for her to continue.

"Anyway, I went to a few good college parties. The clubs there are pretty good too." She continued.

Embry stopped what he was doing and stared at her in shock. "Wait, wait, wait. YOU surf, go to college parties, and go to clubs? I had no idea you were so much fun."

"Ha, ha." She responded sarcastically, then added, "Yes, I did. I know it must sound shocking, but Forks isn't exactly a party town."

"Ah, but you haven't partied with the pack." He said and wagged a finger at her. "We can cause some real trouble around the rez."

"Psh, okay." She laughed.

"We do!" He said and laughed too. "Okay, next time we plan a get together you will have to come. You'll see."

"Okay. Deal.' She agreed and continued on to the next shaker. "Umm, what else? Juggling school and work was tough at times. Oh, I went on a few dates too."

Embry froze and looked at her. He was tense, but she didn't notice. "Oh yeah?" He asked in a calm voice. "Do you have a boyfriend in California waiting for you now?"

"Nope." She responded casually. "None of them lasted too long. I didn't have a lot in common with any of them I guess."

They continued talking as they filled shakers. Leah told him about her roommate and described the apartment they lived in. She also talked about her job at the office supply store and about how different people in California were compared to people in Forks. She was surprised that Embry was even interested in anything she had to say. The last time she talked to him, she had yelled at him for a smart-ass remark he made about her. In her head she reasoned that he must have matured some after all.

"Well, I think that's all of them." She announced and climbed out of the booth. "Thanks for your help."

"Yeah, anytime." He said as he too climbed out of the booth.

"Hey, didn't you come in here to eat?" She asked. "You better order something before closing time."

"Right. Good idea." Embry said and walked up to the counter where waitress Donna stood, polishing silverware.

Leah walked to the back office to tell her mother that she had finished and was going home. Her mother, who was on the phone with Charlie, smiled and waved her off. When Leah reached the front again, she found Embry still standing at the counter waiting for his food. As she approached she thought to herself that he was an attractive guy. His jeans seemed to just slightly hang off his hips in a kind of sexy way and he always seemed to have a sexy mischievous look on his face.

 _Wait. Why the hell am I checking out Embry Call? Get yourself together._ She thought to herself.

"I'll see ya around." She told him as she grabbed her purse from the booth.

"Yeah. Good-night." He said as she opened the door and walked out.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Embry could not sleep. In fact he had hardly slept at all since he imprinted on Leah seven days earlier. He could feel the pull to go to her and the only thoughts running through his head all night were, _Where is Leah right now?_ , _What is Leah doing right now?_ , and _God what I would give to just see her right now_. These thoughts ran around in his head again and again as he laid on his bed, in his dark bedroom, while staring out the window at the night sky.

He thought a lot about the day on the beach. When Leah had informed him that she had not phased in about three years or so, he knew this had to do with why he had only recently imprinted on her. When he touched her foot while they were talking that day, her normal human skin temperature confirmed things even further. Leah was "unfrozen". She was just like any other woman again and this allowed Embry to truly see her for everything she is.

It was at 6:45 am that Embry decided to just get out of bed. He reached over and made sure to turn off his alarm. Normally Embry would never get up 15 minutes before his alarm, but this last week was obviously different.

He went into the kitchen and made himself a bowl of cereal. When he sat down, however, he found that he had no appetite. He stared at his cereal without really seeing it.

"Hey, bro." Came Jacob's tired voice from the doorway. "You're up early again?"

"Oh, yeah. Just can't sleep." Embry mumbled and leaned back into his chair.

Jacob stared at him a moment. A look of concern crossed his face. "You're still not eating too? Are you okay?"

Embry thought about his question for a moment. He debated on telling Jacob the truth, but knew that he wasn't ready to tell yet. Suddenly, another idea came to mind.

"Actually, I am feeling kinda sick." Embry lied as he stood and dumped his bowl in the sink. "I think maybe I'll skip work today. Think you guys can handle a day without me?"

Jacob snorted and clapped his friend on the back. "I think we'll be just fine, dude. You better be there tomorrow though."

Embry grinned and walked back into his room. Shutting his bedroom door behind him, he switched on his computer. His goal was Facebook. He hoped that a clue about Leah's plans for today would be on her page. It didn't take long for him to find the page. He smiled wide when he saw her last post. It read:

Leah Clearwater

Yoga in the morning, but what about the rest of the day? I guess I'll have to wait and see. Maybe I will relax with a couple movies.

Embry shut off his computer again. He was going to go over to her house today. Now all he needed was a reason to show up. He had no intention on telling her the truth yet either. He wanted to get to know her better first and vice-versa. He needed to be her friend first. Embry went out to the living room and laid on the couch. He needed to at least look sick so Jacob wouldn't get suspicious.

About an hour later Jacob came emerged from his bedroom fully dressed for work. He eyed Embry for a moment.

"You know Sam won't be happy about you missing patrols again, right?"

Embry rolled his eyes and groaned before replying, "I don't really care. Besides, it's not mandatory right now, right?"

"No, but-"

"Then I don't know why Sam is flipping his lid about it. Alice Cullen will warn us if she sees something coming."

Jacob rolled his eyes and opened the door to leave. Just before exiting he said, "Fine, but let's see if you're this brave when Sam comes looking for you later."

Embry pouted and squinted his eyes at the front door. Unfortunately, Jacob was right. Sam would come looking for him and Embry didn't want to be around when he did.

 _Well, I guess hiding out at Leah's is a better reason to go over there than no reason at all,_ Embry thought.

…..

Embry pulled into the driveway of the Clearwater home at about 12:05 that afternoon. He practiced in his head what he was going to say all morning and during his drive here. He was going to give her half the truth. He was, in fact, hiding from Sam. The reason for this, however, he will not make too clear. He was just going to be himself and hoped that Leah would be relaxed and understanding enough to let him hang out with her.

On the walk up to the front door, Embry once again for the hundredth time that day felt a sharp pull at his insides. _Yeah I know, I know,_ He thought to himself. The pull to his imprint had been an ongoing thing since the day the imprinting happened. Only when he was near her was when the feeling eased up. That's how he found her at her mother's diner a couple nights ago. He simply followed his gut feeling and there she was.

Embry knocked on the front door and waited. Seconds later she answered. He allowed his eyes to give her body a quick once over. She looked totally hot in a pair of very short running shorts and a loose fitting, long sleeve v-neck shirt.

"Well, well," Embry said teasingly as he leaned against the door frame. "Hello there short-shorts."

Leah's beautiful face was fixed in a confused and slightly annoyed look. "W-what are you doing here, Call?"

"Look, I need a place to hide out for a couple hours." He explained in a more serious tone. "Sam's been looking for me because I've been skipping patrols and I really don't feel like dealing with him today."

Leah squinted her eyes at him for a moment before stepping aside to let him in. Embry celebrated this little accomplishment in his head as he walked into the living room. He turned and saw that she still seemed confused by his presence.

"As much as I understand not wanting to deal with Sam's bossiness, I don't understand why you aren't doing patrols. I thought you loved the whole wolf thing." She said and crossed her arms over her chest.

Embry gave her his famous crooked smile before answering, "I do love the whole wolf thing, but patrols get really boring. I'm just tired of it for now and Sam doesn't seem to understand that."

"Oh." Leah answered as she dropped her arms and she no longer looked confused. "Well, I can understand that."

"Thanks, Short-Shorts." Embry teased again as he plopped down on the couch. "So what are we watching?"

He heard Leah sigh and walk towards the kitchen. He turned his head so he could watch her from where he sat.

"I'm watching Avatar." She answered as she opened a cabinet and reached for something.

As she reached, Embry saw a slice of her flat stomach which made him bite his lip. Those shorts alone were about to drive him crazy, but seeing that nearly made him go over and touch her. He clutched the sofa cousin to remain seated as she walked back into the living room. She set a box of cheez-its on the coffee table and sat on the opposite end of the sofa.

"Have some food." She said as she grabbed the remote and pressed play.

For the first time in days, Embry actually felt hungry. He grabbed the Cheez-it box and opened it. He realized that his anxiety was completely gone now that she was next to him.

 _Hmm,_ he thought as he started eating, _I'm going to have to start forcing myself to eat if this is the way it's going to be. This feels so great!_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _This is really weird._ Leah thought as she and Embry sat in her living room watching Avatar. _I don't think I've ever spent any amount of time alone with Embry Call before. I thought that night at the diner was a random onetime thing, yet here he is again. Is he actually hiding from Sam? Yeah, he must be telling the truth. Otherwise, why would he be here?_

She and Embry sat through the whole movie without saying a word to each other. They laughed at the funny scenes and remained quiet during the dramatic scenes. There were a couple of times when Leah thought Embry was staring at her, but whenever she looked he was watching the movie. When it finally ended, Leah got up and pressed 'stop' on the remote. She sighed and stretched her arms.

"Well, that was a pretty good movie." She commented casually.

She looked over at Embry and found him staring at her with his mouth slightly open. She raised her eyebrows at him in confusion. He breathed in and smiled that famous smile of his.

"Yeah, I agree. So, we snacked lightly during the movie. How about we eat lunch now?" He asked cheerfully and stood up.

"Uhh," Leah began awkwardly. "Okay. I guess I could go for a sandwich."

"Great!" He said and clapped his hands together.

He made his way into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He took out the turkey lunch meat, mayo, mustard, pickles, lettuce, and bread.

"I'll make it. What do you like on your sandwich?"

"Uhh," Leah walked up next to him and stared down at the food he took out. "Everything here except for the pickles."

He looked sideways at her and smiled. "Alright, no pickles."

Leah awkwardly scratched the back of her head and backed away. She instead took a seat at the kitchen table and crossed her legs. Briefly, she eyed the way his muscles moved under his t-shirt. _Hmm, not bad._

"So, you like those kind of movies?" Embry asked as he made lunch.

"Yeah, I guess. Sci-fi fantasy has always interested me. I enjoy comedies more though."

"Yeah I like comedies too. And some action movies. Hey, have you seen the previews for Inception?"

"I have. It looks like it might be good."

"Do you want to go see it this Saturday?"

Leah didn't answer right away. She was yet again confused. Had Embry just asked her out? Why would he do that?

Embry turned to look at her when she didn't answer. He let out a nervous laugh and added, "Just as friends, Leah. Geeze, don't get weird."

"Oh." She finally said then added, "Well I guess that would be alright then."

He placed their plates down on the table and sat across from her. They looked at each other for a moment. Suddenly his brows furrowed and an embarrassed look crossed his face.

"Hey, it's cool if you don't want to. It's just that Jake and Quil didn't want to see it and it sounded like you would be into it."

Leah felt bad for making him feel embarrassed. He was just trying to be her friend lately and she kept taking things the wrong way. She didn't want to be that angry and annoying girl she used to be.

"No, I want to go." She said honestly. "Can you drive us?"

Embry smiled again and nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Leah bit into her sandwich. It tasted good. She felt excited about going to the movies now. She hadn't been to the movies in months because of finals at school, then moving back to Forks.

She laid her arm across the table with her hand open and facing up. "Alright, give me your cell phone. I'll put my number in it so you can text me with the time we will be going."

Embry dropped his sandwich and took his phone out of his jeans pocket. Leah typed in her number and created a new contact for herself in his phone. As she closed everything out, she saw a couple texts from Sam.

"Wow, you weren't lying about Sam looking for you." She commented and handed him his phone back. "He texted you twice."

Embry read the texts as he chewed. He shrugged and shoved the phone back in his pocket. They continued eating lunch and discussing their favorite movies. Leah didn't realize that they liked a lot of the same movies. He seemed just as surprised, but pleased about it.

 _Hmm, it's too bad we couldn't be friends a long time ago._ Leah thought.

…..

On Friday evening Leah ended her shift at her mother's diner. It had been a long day. The restaurant had been busy the entire day. Leah barely had time to stop and breathe before some customer was calling her over for something or other. When the clock hit 5pm, Leah clocked out quickly and took off her apron. She went into the restroom and changed out of her black polo and into a white baby-doll style top. Next she did a quick job of brushing her hair. As she packed up her stuff so she could leave, her cell phone dinged. She saw that it was a text from Embry.

'Hey! Jake, Quil, Seth, and I are going to your mom's diner for dinner. Want to go?'

Leah debated this for a second. Even though she had been around food all day she had not actually eaten anything. Plus, it would be fun to hang with the guys.

'I just ended my shift here. I'll wait for you guys.'

Ding!

'Cool! See you soon.'

She went out to her car to deposit her tote bag in the trunk of her car and went back inside. She informed one of the waitresses that she was meeting her friends here and grabbed a stack of menus before taking a large booth near the entrance. Minutes later she heard somebody enter the diner. She turned in her seat and met eyes with Embry. He smiled that mischievous smile that Leah was beginning to like a little. He was closely followed by Jacob, Quil, and her brother.

"Hey guys." She waved them over.

"Leah! Glad you can stay and eat with us." Jacob commented as he quickly scooted into the booth right next to her and Quil scooted in next to him. Embry sat on the seat directly across from Leah and Seth sat next to him.

"Here." She handed them menus.

"How's it been here today?" Seth asked her as they all opened their menus.

"Insanely busy." She answered and rolled her eyes.

"Is that what you wear to serve the food here?" Jacob asked jokingly.

Leah looked down at her top. It was slightly low-cut, but not horribly so. She crossed her arms and squinted at him.

"No. I wear the black polo just like the rest of the waitresses." She answered harshly.

"Aw, I'm messing with you." Jacob said.

Jacob laid his long arm across the back of her seat and continued to read off the food he might want. Leah smiled and rolled her eyes. She and Jacob had come to an understanding of each other a long time ago. They became friends when she and her brother separated from Sam's pack and joined Jake in protecting his vampire friends.

Suddenly Leah felt the need to look at Embry. He was watching her and Jacob with an odd look on his face. He almost looked jealous, but she was not quite sure. She eyed him for a few seconds and then smiled at him in a friendly manner, and as soon as she did his facial expression turned into a happier one. Jacob removed his arm from the back of her seat and cleared his throat. When Leah looked at him, he just started talking to Seth about work like nothing weird just happened.

They spent the next hour just eating, laughing at each other, and talking about random things. Leah eventually forgot about the awkward moment that happened between herself, Jacob, and Embry.

…..

 _ **Leah was standing on the beach. The sky was gray and the winds were strong, but all she felt was warmth. She was hugging somebody, but she wasn't sure who. A man. She was stroking his black hair with one hand and clutching onto his shoulder with the other.**_

" _ **I'm sorry that I hurt you." The words escaped her mouth without her control.**_

Leah shot up in bed. It was a dream! Just a dream. It left her feeling sad for a few minutes. She tried to shake it off and got out of bed to shower and change. When she was out of the shower and dressed, she was still lost in thought about the odd dream. She desperately tried to summon the image of the man she was holding onto, but was unsuccessful. She jumped when her cell phone rang. Emily was calling.

"Hello?" Leah answered.

"Good morning, cousin!" Emily said happily. She was always a morning person. "Would you like to come eat breakfast with me this morning?"

"Uhh." Leah said uncertainly.

"Oh, please? I'm alone with Dakota today. Sam had work early, then he has patrols with Jared tonight." Emily begged.

"Okay, fine. I'll be there soon." Leah gave in and hung up.

Leah soon pulled into the driveway of the Uley's. She was still trying to get used to being friends and cousins again with Emily. It was always easier when Sam wasn't around. She knocked once and entered the house. Emily was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Little Dakota was playing in his walker just outside the kitchen. Leah bent down and smiled at him.

"Hello, cousin." She cooed to him and lightly pinched his cheek.

"Hi, Leah!" Emily called from the kitchen.

Leah entered to find that Emily had made them a full breakfast. There were eggs, bacon, and pancakes spread out on the table.

"Oh my god, Emily! What did you do?" Leah laughed, "You know I don't eat like one of the guys anymore. How are we going to eat this?"

Emily laughed too. "I know! But I can save some for Sam I guess."

"Yeah, you're going to have to."

The two sat down and dug in. They spoke about Dakota for a while. Emily said she was thinking of getting a part time nanny because she wanted to go back to work. Leah agreed that this was a good idea. Emily needed to start getting out again.

"So what's new with you lately?" Emily asked.

"Oh, nothing much." She said then added, "Embry Call came to my house on Wednesday."

Emily froze with her fork halfway to her mouth. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Really? So that's where he went. Sam was looking for him that day. Why was he there?"

"Because he knew Sam was looking for him. He said he was tired of doing patrols and didn't want to deal with Sam."

"Oh. So what did you two do?" She asked, a little too curious.

"We watched Avatar and ate lunch. Don't give me that look! He and I are friends."

"Rrright." Emily said, unconvinced. "You be careful around that guy. He's had a few girlfriends over the years and all those relationships ended with the girls crying their eyes out."

"Oh my god! We are just friends." Leah told her in an annoyed tone.

"Fine." Emily said and went back to eating.

Leah's phone dinged to let her know a new message had come. She looked and of course it was Embry. He told her that he would pick her up at 5 that evening. She texted back an acknowledgment and tucked her phone away.

"Who was that?" Emily asked.

"It was Embry." Leah sighed. She was unable to lie to her cousin. "We're going to the movies tonight."

Emily set down her knife and fork and stared at Leah. She gave her a look of disbelief. Leah squinted her eyes at her.

"Don't look at me like that! We're just friends!" She told her a little louder than she should have.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Leah did a quick check of herself in the mirror. She was going for a nice, yet casual look. Something that clearly said, "we are just friends". She decided on dark blue skinny jeans, brown boots, a peach color v-neck t-shirt, and her faded green military style jacket. Her hair was done in loose curls and she chose to go natural with the make-up. For her jewelry she just put on her favorite silver crescent moon necklace.

 _There that should be good enough,_ she thought.

She heard Embry's car pull into the drive way and ran right down stairs so he didn't have to come to the door. She was too late, she opened the door to find him standing on the porch. He looked great in tan colored cargo pants, black DC shoes, a black beanie, and a dark gray fitted long sleeve shirt. No jacket for him, however, because of the whole running a higher temperature than others because he was a wolf thing.

"Oh, hey." Leah greeted casually as she turned to lock the door. "You didn't have to get out of the car."

"Oh, it's cool. I don't mind." Embry replied. He sounded nervous.

They did not speak much until they exited the reservation. Embry turned on the radio and Leah was surprised that she actually liked the station he chose. The station played a little bit of everything, but mainly played rock and alternative rock.

"You have good taste in music, Call." Leah commented as she nodded her head to the music.

"Aw thanks, Clearwater." He said and patted her on the knee.

Leah gasped when 'She's So High' by Tal Bachman came on. She smiled and clapped her hands.

"I love this song!" She squealed.

She started singing along with the radio. Embry laughed at her joy, but soon joined her in singing along. Leah caught Embry staring at her quite a bit as they sung along, but didn't care. They laughed and sung at the top of their lungs to this famous '90s song as they drove towards Port Angeles.

"You have a pretty good voice!" Embry told her when the song ended.

Leah blushed at the compliment. "Thanks. My mother used to tell me that, but I never believed her."

"You should believe her. You would be good at karaoke."

"I have done karaoke once while in California. It was fun."

Embry nodded and smiled. They both agreed that a huge party needed to happen on the reservation. Something for the whole pack and their girlfriends. They decided on karaoke, beer pong, a mix of music, and obviously a ton of alcohol. Leah suggested it be at her place since she lived there alone and that it should be next Saturday night. Embry seemed excited for the whole thing and assured her the guys would be beyond excited for it.

"It's been a good couple of months since the pack got together to party like that, so this will be great." Embry told her as they finally entered the city.

They soon parked and got out. The theater was only a block from the public parking lot. Leah and Embry didn't have anybody sitting in front of them in the theater so they had made themselves comfortable by putting their feet up on the seats. They each took a turn doing the Coca-Cola trivia before the movie started and laughed a little too loudly at some of the previews. The movie ended up being pretty good. Confusing on some parts, but all in all pretty good.

When the movie was over they immediately began discussing it. As they exited the theater, however, they both stopped short. It was lightly raining out. Leah bit her lip as she looked out at the rain coming down.

"Ah geeze!" She exclaimed in annoyance. "Of course I would bring the jacket without a hood."

"Here." Embry said immediately. He took his beanie off his head and offered it to her. "That way the rain won't ruin your hair."

"Oh it's okay." Leah tried to decline.

"Look, I don't know what hair product you used, but I'm guessing you don't want it getting wet unless you're in the shower."

Embry gently placed the beanie on her head and adjusted it a bit. His thumbs caressed her forehead and sides of her face as he adjusted the beanie and Leah found herself closing her eyes and relaxing at his touch. He stepped back and gave her a smile.

"There. You look good." He assured her.

"Well, thanks." Leah said. She felt a bit awkward, but smiled back.

The ride home was slightly quieter than the ride there. Leah was silently trying to figure out if Embry was just trying to be a friend or if he was interested in something more than that. She was getting mixed signals. One thing she did know, however, is that during the three times they had hung out together they had a good time. She never would have expected that they would have so much in common. If somebody had told her five years ago that she and Embry would become good friends, she would have laughed in that person's face.

 _Although, if I had found the strength and reason to get over the whole Sam situation a little sooner, I may have found friendships with Jacob and Embry a little sooner. In fact, I probably would have found friendships with the whole pack._ Leah thought to herself sadly.

As they pulled into the driveway of Leah's house, she reached up to take off Embry's beanie.

"Keep it." Embry told her quickly. "You look better in it anyways."

Leah looked at him for a moment, feeling unsure. When their eyes met she felt her heart rate speed up and her face go warm. And there it was, that sexy and mischievous smile of his. God damn it! What was going on here? Leah looked away and opened the car door.

"Well, thank you." She said in a calm voice. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah." Embry said, then added, "I'll text you about the party next Saturday."

"Okay." She answered and got out of the car.

Embry did not drive away until she had unlocked and opened the front door to her house. Before stepping inside she watched him drive up the street. She reached up and touched the beanie on her head. She recalled how nice it felt when he had touched her face. It was gentle and warm. She was not sure what was going on, but she had to admit to herself that she was starting to enjoy it. She just needed to remind herself not to fall for Embry Call, because she would just end up in the same situation that she did with Sam. Whatever this was, it was strictly for fun while she figured out how to own her own business.

…..

Leah did not see Embry in the few days following their almost date. She picked up more shifts at the diner and he had his own work to focus on. Embry did, however, text Leah often. He had texted her on Sunday to let her know that Jacob, Quil, Seth, Jared, and Kim were all looking forward to the party next weekend. He texted her on Monday evening to let her know that Sam, Emily, Paul, and Rachel were all thinking about showing up for the party next weekend. He texted her to ask how her day was or just to say hello. Leah found herself smiling each and every time she received a text.

By Thursday, Leah was worn out. She had been on the go with shift after shift at her mother's diner, and when she was not working she was hanging out with Emily. Today, however, Leah decided to stay home. She had woken up this morning with painful cramps and her period starting shortly after the cramping started. She had been curled up on the couch and watching TV when her phone informed her of a new text. She smiled slightly because she knew already who it was.

'Good afternoon! How's it goin'?' Embry's text read.

'Eh, I've been better. How 'bout you?' She texted back.

'What's wrong?' He texted this so quickly that she couldn't believe the speed.

'Oh just female stuff. Nothing some Midol or a chocolate bar can't help with. Good thing I've got the Midol.'

'Oh. I'm sorry you don't feel well.'

Leah smiled and rolled her eyes before texting, 'I think I'll survive. How was work? Ruin anybody's car?'

He did not text back right away so Leah figured he got a customer. She set her phone back down on the coffee table and resumed watching the TV. About 30 minutes after her last text, her phone alerted her of a new message. It was, of course, Embry.

'Ha, ha. No, I did not ruin anybody's car today. Come open your front door.'

Leah's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He was here? She uncurled herself from her spot on the couch and walked over to the front door. When she opened it she found Embry leaning against the porch rail with that sexy smile of his plastered on his face. She was shocked. She had no idea that he was coming over. She felt silly because she was still wearing her sweatpants and camisole that she had been lounging around in all day.

"Hi. W-what are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming." She said in disbelief.

"Well, we all got out of work and all the guys had something they all had to do. Jake and Seth are on their way to the Cullen's and Quil is on his way to go babysit Claire. So, I came here." He said all this with that smile still intact.

"I'm not exactly feeling well or even dressed to hang out." She told him with uncertainty.

"Leah, you look just fine. Besides, I brought a gift." He said and from his jacket pocket he produced a Milky Way chocolate bar.

Leah eyed the candy bar. She had been craving chocolate all day. After a moment of silent debate, Leah opened the door all the way and held out her hand for the candy bar. Embry smiled wider and handed it over to her. She turned and went back to her spot on the couch as Embry closed the door behind him and plopped down on the other side of the couch.

"So, are you going to be okay for this Saturday?" Embry asked as he grabbed the remote and switched through the channels.

"Oh yeah" She assured him as she bit into the candy bar. "Cramps usually last the first couple days. I will feel just fine by Saturday."

"That's good. Do you need anything else right now? Medicine or …" He eyed her with worry.

"No. I'm okay." She told him calmly.

 _Geeze, why does he seem so worried about me? Has he never been around a girl who was on her period before? Weirdo._

They spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in the living room. They watched TV and discussed all the different shows they enjoyed. Leah really liked that they made each other laugh and that they also made each other think. They agreed on most things, not everything, but most. She found that she was starting to prefer his company to anyone else's and it both scared her and excited her. She just needed to keep reminding herself to not get too involved.

"Argh!" Leah groaned as she brought her knees up so that she was lying in the fetal position.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Embry was off his side of the couch and hovering over her in mere seconds.

"The cramps are back." Leah groaned. It felt as if somebody were twisting up her ovaries with a fork.

"W-what do you need?" He asked in a panic.

"Argh! Just go get the Midol! It's in the medicine cabinet in the upstairs bathroom."

Embry ran up the stairs two at a time. 30 seconds later he was back in the room. He handed her the bottle of medicine and ran to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. She downed her pills and laid back on the couch in the fetal position once again.

Embry gently sat down next to her so that he didn't jostle her too much and began to rub her feet. In the back of her mind Leah knew she should have told him to stop, but his warm hands felt so good on her cold feet and it was distracting her from the pain. Eventually he pulled both her feet into his lap to continue rubbing them. Leah sighed with contentment and closed her eyes. She had no idea how long they stayed like this, but she didn't care.

"Leah?" Embry said her name softly.

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes slightly to look at him.

"It's late. Are you feeling better or do you need help getting to bed?"

Leah opened her eyes fully and checked the time on her phone. It was 10 'o clock at night! Embry had been here with her for hours. She slid her feet off his lap and sat up straight as she tried to fix her hair. He watched her silently with a grin on his face.

"I'm okay." She finally said in a tired voice. "I'm sorry about being such a boring friend today, but I did warn you."

He laughed once and said, "Oh, Lee. I don't mind at all." He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm just glad you are feeling better."

They stared at each other for a moment. She could see it in his eyes. He cared about her as more than just a friend. Then she felt it. In this moment she let her guard down and found that she cared for him as more than just a friend too. Right now she would have very much liked to kiss those lips of his. To feel his hands and fingers roam all over her body. To allow her hands to roam all over his muscular arms, chest, and back.

Leah would have liked to do those things very much, but she didn't do those things. She reminded herself again of the situation she had had with Sam imprinting. Instead, Leah stood up from the couch and wrapped Embry in a hug.

"Thanks for being here today." She said as she pulled away.

"You're welcome." He replied as he smiled that smile at her.

"I'll see you on Saturday."

"Yes. You will. Good-night."

"Good-night."

Leah followed him to the door and locked it when he left. She let out a sigh and leaned against the door. _I can't do this._ She thought to herself. _I can't get wrapped up in a relationship. Especially with Embry Call. First off, he is four years younger than me! Second, he is going to imprint one day! Just stay friends with him!_ Leah straightened herself up and went off to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Embry changed his shirt for the fifth time. He had finally decided on wearing a plain charcoal gray t-shirt that was just slightly snug around his muscular arms. He took a breath and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as he also inspected his hair.

 _Okay, this looks good._ He thought happily.

He could not wait to see Leah tonight. He wondered what she would be wearing tonight. A skirt maybe? The thought of her in a short skirt got him excited immediately. He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. He did not want to explain why he had a boner to his roommate.

"You ready, bro?" Embry asked when he found Jake sitting in the living room.

"Yep. I have a feeling this party is going to be epic." Jake said.

"I wonder if Leah needs help setting up. Maybe we should go over there now?" Embry asked and checked his cell phone.

"Uh…" Jake started as he looked at Embry suspiciously. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something first. Could you sit down a minute?"

Embry eyed his friend for a few seconds before sitting in the chair across from him. He suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Look, uh, something has been up with you lately." Jake began. "You hardly sleep or eat anymore. You've been seeing Leah a lot and you've been skipping patrols for almost three weeks. I'm beginning to think it's all connected. I saw the way you looked at her that night at the diner. Are you and Leah dating?"

Embry swallowed nervously. Jacob had almost guessed the truth. He was, in fact, skipping patrols because of Leah. But not because they were dating. _I guess I should just tell him. He would understand._

"I'm not dating Leah." Embry finally answered. "But I have been skipping patrols because of her. I imprinted on her at her welcome home party, but I didn't want anybody to know until I figured things out."

The truth came out in a rush. Jacob's mouth dropped open in shock. He stared at Embry for what felt like a long time. Finally he took a breath and looked away.

"How?" Was all Jacob could say.

"I wasn't sure until I talked to her when we all went to La Push. She doesn't phase anymore. She hasn't phased in years."

"Which means she…" Jake let his sentence fade out.

"Which means she is 'unfrozen'. She isn't a wolf anymore, so her powers are gone. I think that's why I could imprint on her now."

"What does she think about this?"

"I haven't told her. I wanted her to trust me and like me for me before I tell her."

Jake let out a low whistle and leaned back in his seat. He looked lost in thought for a few moments. Embry actually felt slightly better now that his friend knew what was going on with him.

"Well, bro." Jacob finally said. "I will do everything I can to cover for you with patrols, but I can't do it forever. Sam and the others are going to figure it out. Leah's going to figure it out."

"I know. I'll tell her soon." Embry replied, then added, "Thanks, Jake."

…..

The party was just starting by the time Embry and Jacob arrived. Jared and Kim, Sam and Emily were dancing while Quil, Seth, and Paul set up a beer pong table. Embry found Rachel and Leah standing in the kitchen talking. His mouth fell open when he saw what Leah was wearing. She looked so incredibly hot in skin-tight jeans and a red halter top. The majority of her hair was pinned up with strands falling from it.

"Easy, bro." Jacob warned Embry quietly before leaving him where he stood.

"Hey there, Call." Leah said happily when he approached. "Would you like a drink?"

"I would love a drink." He replied, then to Rachel he said, "Hey, Rachel. Long time no see."

"Hello, Embry. You gonna join us for beer pong?"

"Of course! Leah's on my team." He replied as he took the drink Leah offered and put his arm around her shoulders.

The party had officially started. Everybody divided up into two teams and began the game. It was a blast. Each team won a game. Later things got even crazier. Kim and Jared started making out in the corner. Sam, Emily, Paul, and Seth started doing shots as Rachel kept refilling their glasses. Quil and Jake started taking bets on who could do the longest handstand. They ripped off their shirts and the girls cheered for them as each of the two guys tried to do a handstand while drunk off their asses. After that Emily got Leah to join her on top of the coffee table to dance. Embry laughed and watched Leah move to the music. He would have given anything to go over there, put his hands on her hips, and dance with her.

"Hey ladies!" A drunk Sam yelled over the music with Quil right behind him.

Sam grabbed Emily from the coffee table, spun her around, and put her right on her feet in front of him. They started making out right away. Meanwhile, Quil had gone over to Leah and thrown her over his shoulder. Embry was immediately struck with anger towards Quil and accidently crushed the plastic cup he was holding. Nobody seemed to notice anything wrong, but Embry watched in horror as Quil walked away with Leah over his shoulder. She squealed with laughter and he gave her a quick smack on the behind while laughing too. White hot rage shot through Embry's body. Suddenly Jake came out of nowhere. He grabbed Leah from Quil's shoulder, spun her around so that she was facing away from Quil, and set her down on her feet.

"Okay, dude!" Jacob said as he turned back to Quil. "You beat me in doing handstands, but let's see if you can beat me in doing push-ups!"

"You're on!" Quil laughed.

The two walked away leaving a drunk and giggling Leah standing there. Embry silently thanked Jacob as he made his way to Leah. She tried to stop her giggling by biting her bottom lip, but failed. Embry laughed at her cute goofiness.

"Having fun?" He asked as the anger from a few seconds ago faded away.

"Yes! Too much fun!" Leah giggled and clutched his arm to steady herself as she began to sway.

Embry took her arm and placed it over his shoulders and placed his own around her waist. He didn't want her to fall. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. She bit her lip again and Embry's desire to kiss her was almost too much to bare. He led her over to one of the kitchen chairs and sat her down. When he tried to stand up straight again she tightened her hold around his neck.

"Don't leave me, Call." She whispered to him. Her breath sent goose bumps across his skin. "I like it when you touch me."

Embry closed his eyes and let out a groan. Her words and body were driving him insane. His member twitched in his pants and he had to take a couple of breaths to focus. He looked her in the eyes.

"I like touching you too, but we probably shouldn't be doing that in front of everybody right now." He whispered back.

She smiled and nodded at him, letting him know that she understood. He stood up and made to get her a glass of water. When he turned around, however, he came face to face with Sam and Emily. Embry tried to control his racing heart. How long have they been there? Had they heard what he and Leah were talking about?

"We-we're going home." Sam stuttered drunkenly. "Can you tell Leah we said 'good-bye'?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Embry said, trying to sound casual.

"Okay." Sam said and smiled. He patted Embry on the head. "Bye-bye."

Embry watched Sam tug Emily out the front door. He let out a relieved breath when they were gone. He quickly filled a glass with water and gave it to Leah. Soon after Sam and Emily left, Paul and Rachel decided to leave. Seth had passed out on the couch, Jared and Kim had disappeared an hour ago, and Quil and Jacob had started up the Xbox while downing some more beers. Since the party was winding down, Embry decided he should help Leah to bed.

"Come on, sexy." He said to Leah and held out a hand to her. "I'll help you get upstairs."

She gave him a sly smile and took his hand, but when she stood up her legs collapsed. Embry caught her before she hit the floor. He picked her up "wedding style" and carried her upstairs. Her bedroom was dark, except for a sliver of moon light that fell across her bed. He set her down on the bed and she giggled. He couldn't help but laugh at how cute she was as a drunk.

"Which drawer do you put your night clothes in?" Embry asked her.

"The top drawer." She said and bit her lip.

Embry opened the top drawer to her dresser and nearly had a heart attack.

"Oops!" Leah giggled. "That's my underwear drawer!"

"You're killing me here, babe." Embry said as he shut the drawer.

"Okay, okay! There's a large t-shirt in the second drawer."

Embry found the shirt she was talking about and brought it to her. She looked at the garment in his hand and then back up to his eyes.

"I think you're going to have to help me." She said in a tone that made his dick twitch.

She reached behind her and tugged the tie to her top loose. Embry's heart raced as he watched her. She took the hem of her top and pulled it over her head. Embry's eyes nearly pooped out of his head when he saw her perfectly round and perky breasts. His mouth dropped open and his pants were feeling tighter. She smiled and unbuttoned her jeans. She laid back on the bed and wriggled herself free of them. Embry didn't move as he watched her undress herself. She laid there wearing only her red lacy panties and motioned with her finger for him to join her. He sat down next to her.

"Embry." She whispered as she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down to her. "I have been wanting you to touch me all over. Kiss me."

Their lips met and Embry thought he died and went to heaven. Hers were so soft. She gently sucked on his bottom lip which made him moan with pleasure. He ran his hand up her flat stomach, leaving a trail of goosebumps. His member hardened to the point where his jeans were extremely uncomfortable.

 _Wait! What are you doing, Call?_ He thought suddenly. _She's drunk as hell! You can't do this with her right now._

Embry broke their kiss and leaned away. She looked at him with worry.

"Leah, you have no idea how badly I want to do this with you. But you're drunk and you may hate me in the morning if we go through with this." He told her.

"Oh." She said sadly. "Okay."

Embry sat up again and picked up the t-shirt he had gotten for her. Leah sat up so that Embry could slip the shirt over her head. He stood and pulled back the blankets for her. When she was all tucked into bed, Embry placed two Tylenol and a glass of water on her bedside table. He was just about to leave her to sleep when he heard her voice.

"Embry?" She asked sleepily.

"Yes, hun?"

"Can you sleep in my room? Just in case I get sick."

"Of course I will. I'll sleep on the floor. Hand me a pillow."

Leah gave him one of her pillows and an extra blanket from her bed. Embry kicked off his shoes and laid down on the carpet. He stretched out his legs and covered himself with the blanket.

"Good-night, beautiful girl." He whispered to her, but when he peeked up at her she had already fallen asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Leah grunted angrily as she shoved four more plastic party cups into a large trash bag. Her kitchen was littered with them and the living room was filled with beer bottles from the party the night before. She should have had Seth, Quil, Embry, and Jacob help her clean up this morning, but she couldn't speak or look at Embry at the moment. She sighed and hauled the now full trash bag out to the trash cans.

 _Flashback to that morning:_

 _Leah opened her eyes to the bright morning light. Where was she? What happened? Her memories were fuzzy and her head ached like hell._

 _She turned onto her side and let out a moan. When she opened her eyes again she found Embry Call fast asleep on the bedroom floor. His mouth hung slightly open as he snored. One of his arms was tucked under his head and the other was stretched out across the floor._

 _Suddenly memories of the party from the night before came back to her; the party was insane. She remembered beer pong, watching Jacob and Quil making fools of themselves, dancing with Emily, and talking to Embry. She remembered him helping her to her bedroom where she removed her clothes right in front of him. After getting almost completely naked, she had asked Embry to touch her and to kiss her. She remembered he stopped her and said that it wasn't a good idea for them to continue._

 _Leah took in a deep breath. How embarrassing! She couldn't believe that she tried to get Embry to have sex with her! Thank heavens Embry had stopped her. Wait, why did he stop her? She could have sworn that he liked her. No! She couldn't put herself in the same situation she had been in years ago._

 _After taking the Tylenol with the water that sat next to her bed, Leah woke up Embry and asked him to take the guys (who were asleep downstairs) home. He asked if she wanted to talk, but she declined and told him to leave._

Leah slammed the front door and grabbed another large trash bag. She was not sure who she was madder at; herself or Embry. She hated Embry for sending mixed signals and then rejecting her advances. However, she hated herself for making a pass at him in the first place. Why did he have to go and get her attention like this? She was perfectly fine not having any kind of relationship with Embry before all this.

Suddenly Leah's emotions seemed to reach a head. She collapsed onto the sofa and put her head in her hands. Warm tears rolled down her cheeks as anger, embarrassment, confusion, and loneliness became too much to bare. She began to feel the shaking and racing heart that always came before phasing and started taking deep breaths to keep in control. Minutes passed by and soon she had stopped shaking and crying.

 _A guy has not had this kind of effect on me in a long time._ Leah thought miserably, _Why does it feel so different with Embry?_

…..

Leah parked her car in the little parking lot next to the bookstore in Forks. A couple days ago she had come across an announcement in the newspaper that an elderly woman by the name of Maple Walker was looking to sell her bookstore. Mrs. Walker had owned this bookstore for more than thirty years, but now the time for her to retire had come. Leah called her immediately to set up a meeting.

Feeling nervous, Leah quickly wiped her clammy hands on her gray slacks and adjusted her red blouse. The little bell above the door ringed when she entered the store. She looked around for a moment. It was a bit dark, the carpet was worn out, and the finish on the wooden bookshelves were scratched, but Leah could see the potential here. A decent makeover of the store would attract not only a younger crowd, but tourists as well.

"Hello." An elderly woman greeted from behind the counter at the front of the store.

"Hello. You must be Mrs. Walker." Leah replied and shook hands with the woman.

"Yes, I am. And you must be Leah Clearwater." Mrs. Walker observed kindly.

The meeting with Mrs. Walker last over an hour. She asked Leah what she planned on doing with the store if she bought it, she asked about Leah's schooling and her degree, and of course they talked about price. Leah assured her that she would take care of the store. She told her with a few improvements, Leah believed the store could be even more successful. As for money, Leah had saved most of the money she made in while in California and a few paychecks she got while working in her mother's diner.

"I think you will be perfect for this store." Mrs. Walker informed her as they finished up their meeting. "You're sweet, sharp as tack, and I agree with your ideas for improvements. But you know that owning a business won't be easy, right?"

"Oh, I'm aware it won't be easy." Leah answered nervously. "But I've always wanted a place of my own and I just hate seeing big corporate businesses come into small towns and ruin small businesses."

"Me too." Mrs. Walker gave her an approving smile. "Well, I will draw up the paperwork and give you a call when everything is ready. How does that sound?"

Leah burst out in a huge smile. "That sounds great! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome dear. I'll see you soon." The old woman laughed.

When Leah got back into her car she screamed and laughed happily. Finally! She was going to run her own business! So many more ideas for the store flooded her mind. Leah pulled out her cell phone and went straight to her contacts. She called her mother, but there was no answer. _Oh yeah, she's working right now,_ she thought. Leah left a quick and excited message before hanging up. She went back into her contacts again and straight to Embry's number, but she froze immediately. Her finger hovered above the 'call' button on her phone and the big smile she wore slowly faded away.

 _Should I call him? Would he care?_ Deep inside Leah knew that he would be happy for her, but she still felt upset about what happened between them at the party.

Leah sighed and shoved her phone back inside of her purse. She backed her car out of the little parking lot of the bookstore and drove towards home. It had been almost five days since she last saw Embry and she missed him a lot. He had texted her the night after the party, but she told him she was going to be busy for a while and she would text when she had time. It wasn't a complete lie. She was busy with working, grocery shopping, cleaning her house, and today's meeting in Forks, but there were many opportunities for her to call or text him. She just couldn't bring herself to do it.

As Leah pulled up to her house on the reservation a little while later, she saw Jacob's car parked out front on the curb. She wasn't expecting to see him today. She parked and got out. Jacob was sitting on the porch, waiting for her. He looked like he was here on serious business.

"Uh, hey." Leah greeted him uncertainly.

"Hey." Jake replied and stood up. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"Embry."

Leah sighed and rolled her eyes. "What about him?"

"You need to go speak to him. He's going crazy not talking to you."

"Oh my god!" She couldn't believe Jake was here to get her together with Embry Call. "I've been busy! Why does he even care so much?"

"Really?" Jacob asked in disbelief and frustration. "You don't get it yet? I mean I know it's hard to believe, but damn."

"Look, I can see that he likes me. I think. Actually I've been getting mixed signals about what's going on. But I cannot believe you, Jacob!" She yelled, "Why are you here trying to get me together with somebody who will end up hurting me the same way Sam did?! I thought you and I were friends."

Leah stalked right past Jacob and up the porch steps. She was so angry at him and she needed to get away. As she dug for her keys Jacob sighed loudly in frustration.

"Oh my god, Leah! Look at the signs!" He yelled at her. She spun around to stare at him angrily and he continued, "At home he hardly eats or sleeps. He's always distracted. He talks about you all the time, which obviously means he thinks about you all the time. He's only happy when YOU text or call him. And when he knows he's going to physically see you, he gets stupid excited. That night of the party when Quil was messing around and picked you up, Embry nearly phased to kill him! It was a good thing that I intervened when I did."

Leah didn't say anything. She couldn't. The things Jacob was telling her about Embry sounded a lot like one of the guys when they imprinted. But that was not possible. Right?

"Now think about yourself." Jacob continued in a calmer voice. "You left home and went through a big change. You stopped phasing and gave up your supernatural powers. You're just like Nessie, Emily, Rachel, Kim, and Claire now."

She still could not speak. She was putting it all together in her head. How could she not see the signs? She had known them so well from when she watched most of her pack mates imprint years ago. She just never expected imprinting to happen to her.

"Do you get it now?" Jake asked her. He had calmed down now that she was quiet and listening to him.

Leah realized that her mouth was hanging open. She shut it quickly and breathed in through her nose. She searched Jacob's face and saw that he was indeed telling her the truth. She nodded at him.

"Yes." She finally answered. "I get it. When did…?"

"At your welcome home party last month."

Leah nodded again, but didn't say anything more. She was not sure what else there was to say to Jake. She was glad that he made things clear for her. He was a good friend after all.

"Look, Leah." Jacob said quietly. He looked worried. "You should really just talk to him. We guys don't do very well when we are kept away from our imprints. Also, he hasn't phased in a month. Sam is getting very impatient with him because he doesn't know what the hell is going on. You two need to work things out."

"Okay." Leah answered quietly.

"Alright. Are going to be okay right now? I've got to go see Nessie and I'm already late."

"I'm fine, Jacob. Go. And thanks."

"You're welcome. See you later." Jake gave her one last look before turning around and walking to his car.

Leah watched him go. She stood there for a while feeling numb. Her life had changed in more than one way today, and it all happened before 2pm. Eventually, she turned and went inside. She went straight up to her room and changed into a pair of jeans, a fitted v-neck t-shirt, and cardigan. Thoughts of Embry filled her mind. She thought about all the times they hung out together and all the signs she had missed. Suddenly she remembered what he had said that night of the party when she tried to sleep with him, _'You don't know how badly I want to do this with you, but you're really drunk…'_ He wasn't rejecting her because he didn't want to have sex with her. He just didn't want her to wake up sober the next morning and freak out. Unfortunately, she freaked out anyway.

"Oh god!" Leah moaned sadly and rubbed her face.

She retrieved her cell phone from her purse and texted Embry. She asked him to meet her at La Push beach as soon as possible. It didn't take long for her to get a response. He agreed to meet her. Leah was not sure how this was going to go, but it was time for them to talk.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Leah was not very surprised to see that Embry was already there, waiting for her on the beach. The sky was gray and the winds were beginning to pick up. As she got out of her car and began walking out onto the beach towards Embry, Leah had a quick flashback to a dream she had had. The feeling of Deja vu filled her.

Embry watched her walk to him. Despite the fact that she had kicked him out of her house and not spoken to him in days, he still smiled at her. His smile just made her feel worse. She had been such a bitch and didn't deserve his smile.

"Hey." He breathed happily when she stopped just three feet from him.

"Hey, Embry." She replied kindly. She wanted to wrap her arms around him so badly, but held back. They had to talk first.

"I'm glad you text me. I thought you had ditched me." He said jokingly.

"I was mad." She started. His face fell and she quickly continued. "I was mad at myself for making a pass at you when I was drunk. I was also confused and embarrassed that you had rejected me."

"Oh, Leah." He looked like he felt bad. "I wanted to- "

"I know." She cut him off. "I actually did some thinking today and I think I came to a conclusion on things."

Leah had decided not to throw Jacob under the bus on this. She didn't want Embry to get upset with Jake for telling his secret.

"At the risk of embarrassing myself again I have to ask you something." She continued. His brow furrowed in confusion, but he waited. She took a breath and asked, "Embry, have you imprinted on me?"

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open slightly. They stared at each other for a long time. Leah was beginning to feel like Jacob had given her the wrong idea when Embry didn't answer right away.

"Uh." He began and nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Yes. Yes, I imprinted on you."

Leah's eyes became watery. She was numb before, but now she felt so many things. She was happy and relieved that she had somebody who imprinted on her. It was the strongest bond of love there was. She was glad it was with Embry because as it turned out they had so much in common and were physically attracted to each other. However, she was upset that he had not told her. He had many chances to say something, but never did.

"Really?" She sobbed and covered her mouth.

"Yes. Why are you crying? What's wrong?" He asked in a panic.

"Why didn't you tell me? After all this time?"

"I didn't want to scare you off." He explained quickly. "I wanted us to be friends first and for you to trust me."

She didn't respond. She wiped away tears and looked away.

"Leah, if I had told you about this a month ago do you really think you would still be in Forks right now?" He asked sadly.

She thought about it for a moment. Honestly, she probably would have freaked out even worse and told him to fuck off. She would not have believed him.

"No." She finally answered as she dried the last of her tears. "I probably would not have believed it."

"Right." He agreed sadly. "I'm sorry I made you feel bad that night. You have no idea how hard it is for me to keep my hands to myself. You have no idea how hard it is to even stay away from you for more than a few hours."

For the first time since she arrived, Leah smiled. She giggled as happiness won over all the other emotions she had been feeling. Embry looked relieved as he watched her have a giggle fit. After a few minutes, Leah finally calmed down. They stared at each other and smiled like they were crazy. She held out her arms to him.

"Will you hug me?" She asked calmly.

"You don't have to ask me twice." Embry said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly.

She held him just as tightly as he did her. His warm skin against her cool skin felt amazing. She sighed and started running her fingers through his short hair.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you by refusing to speak to you." She said quietly.

Embry pulled back a little to look her in the eyes. "Sweetheart, I understand. I'm just glad you figured it out because I honestly was not sure how to tell you."

"Thank you for being my friend, Embry. I love that you always let me be myself and are game for whatever I want to do."

"I'm just happy to be next to you." He answered seriously.

"Do you mind, then, if we take this slow? I like you so much, but I want the chance for this to evolve like it should." She asked him.

"Then we will take it slow." He agreed with a huge smile.

…..

Leah hummed 'The Reason' by one of her favorite bands, Hoobastank. She stirred the spaghetti noodles as they boiled and kept an eye on the sauce. It had been four days since she found out about Embry imprinting on her. They were happier than either of them had ever been before. She had him over for dinner almost every night.

Embry came up behind her, placed his hands on her hips, and whispered in her ear, "Mmm, I love to see my girl cooking me dinner."

"Hey!" She laughed and turned around to swat him on the shoulder. "You better watch it or I'll make you cook dinner from now on."

"I'm just saying it's hot." He said in a jokingly defensive way. "But if you don't mind food that's well done, then I can cook it."

"Eww, never mind." Leah answered.

Embry smiled again before leaning in and kissing her along her jawline. She sighed with pleasure as she felt goose bumps rise on her skin. He pulled away and went to sit at the table where he sat and continued to watch her make dinner. She stuck out her tongue at him and went back to work. They still had not had sex, but the kisses were just as satisfying for now. They had agreed on taking it slow and were sticking to that rule, but they loved to drive each other crazy with kissing and touching.

"Alright, food is done." Leah announced as she set down their plates of spaghetti.

"Oh baby!" Embry said excitedly and Leah wasn't sure if it was towards her or the food.

She sat down next to him and dug in. Using one hand, Embry grabbed her chair by the seat and dragged her closer to him. She squeaked in surprise. He winked at her as he placed one arm around the back of her chair and began lightly tracing circles on the back of her shoulder while he used his other hand to feed himself. Leah blushed and tried to concentrate on her food. She was reminded of his great physical strength on a daily basis. He would throw her over his shoulder, carry her in his arms, or hug her tightly. She enjoyed it each and every time.

After dinner, Embry volunteered to put the dirty dishes in the dish washer while Leah put away the leftovers. They spent another hour and a half watching TV and talking. She laid down and he sat with her feet in his lap so he could rub them. She loved that he did sweet things like this for her. All too soon, however, the time came for him to leave. He had started running patrols again, but always made sure it was either with Jacob or Quil. They were the only two people who knew about Embry and Leah, and for now that's the way the couple wanted it to be.

"I'll see you later." She told him as she walked him to the door.

"Ugh, alright." He moaned and pouted at her, which made her laugh.

She went to open the door, but Embry pushed it shut again. She raised an eyebrow at him and he gave her his famous mischievous smile. Before she could say a word, Embry had wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her body between the door and himself. Their lips met and Leah felt her heart race. She ran her fingers through his hair and gently sucked on his bottom lip. He moaned and pressed himself tighter to her. She could feel his member growing against her inner thigh. Her breathing accelerated as his mouth moved to her neck, which made her nether regions grow warm and moist.

"Embry!" She panted and weakly pushed at his shoulders. "You have to go. You know where this will lead and you need to go do patrols now."

"Argh!" He groaned and dropped his forehead to her shoulder.

They took a minute to allow their breathing to slow. Soon he stood up straight and took a step back. Leah kept her back pressed against the door for fear that her knees would give out and she would fall. She grabbed the door knob and wretched open the door.

"Later, sweetheart." Embry said and winked at her as he walked out of her house.

"Goodnight." She breathed.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Embry woke up with a smile. In fact, he had woken up smiling for the last two weeks. He and Leah were getting along perfectly and he couldn't imagine life getting any better. Even though they each had busy work schedules, they had dinner together almost every night and spoke on the phone to each other at least once during the day.

On one Friday afternoon after work Embry and Jacob invited Quil and Seth over to their place for a round of video games. Originally Jake was supposed to go see Nessie, but Bella and Edward took her to see their cousins in Alaska for the weekend. So, in an effort to help keep Jacob from worrying about his girl, Embry suggested game night.

"Prepare to meet your match, Black." Quil said as he took the controller from Embry.

"Psh! Whatever!" Jacob laughed and rolled his eyes. "I'm the master at this game."

Embry kicked back in the oversized arm chair and stuffed a handful of Doritos into his mouth. After a few minutes he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He was pleased to see that Leah had texted him. Apparently she had just finished up with things at her store and asked if she could come over to see him. He immediately replied yes.

"Leah's on her way over." Embry said casually.

Jacob, Quil, and Seth all gave him annoyed looks.

"Are you serious?" Seth asked.

A few days earlier, Leah and Embry sat down with Seth and told him that Embry had imprinted on her. He was mad at first. He even phased into wolf form which caused Embry to phase to protect Leah. After a while, Seth calmed down when he realized that there was absolutely nothing he could do to change the situation. He wasn't happy about it, but he eventually started talking to Embry again.

"Yes." Embry answered seriously.

"Aw, man! I thought it was game night!" Jacob complained as he unpaused his current game.

"We've been at it for two hours now. Come on! If Bella suddenly called you and said she wanted to drop off Nessie for a while, would you tell her no?"

"No. I wouldn't." Jake mumbled.

"And Quil, if Claire's parents needed you right now to baby-sit, would you say no?"

"Okay, we get it." Quil rolled his eyes at him.

"Urgh! Are you two going to be making out?" Seth asked with a disgusted look on his face.

"Probably." Embry answered honestly.

"I'm outta here." Seth concluded and walked across the room to the front door where his shoes lay.

"Aww, come on" Embry said as he relaxed back into his chair. "You gotta get used to this soon, bro. I'm hoping to be your brother-in-law someday and father of your niece or nephew."

Seth glared at Embry for a few seconds before walking up to him and punching him in the shoulder. Hard. Embry had to conjure up all his will power to not get up and hit him back. Seth wretched open the door and slammed it behind him.

"You shouldn't push him like that, Embry." Jacob said after a minute. "You were kinda a player before Leah came back into town. He's just worried about his sister."

"Yeah, I know." Embry answered and actually felt bad about it.

About an hour later there was a knock on the door. Embry jumped up and opened it to find a jaw dropping sight. Leah stood there wearing a silky looking navy blue dress with white polka dots all over it, a brown leather jacket, and brown leather boots. Her hair was curled and she also happened to be wearing the black beanie that Embry gave to her.

"Hello." She said to him and smiled.

"Uhh." Was all Embry could say.

Leah giggled and stepped around him.

"Hey there, Leah." Jacob greeted her from the sofa.

"Yeah, hey." Quil chimed in.

"Hey guys. How's the game?" Leah asked as she removed her jacket.

"This is a pretty good one." Jake answered as he and Quil began another round.

Embry couldn't take his eyes off of Leah. She looked so hot. Not that Embry thought she didn't look hot all the time, but she looked extra hot today. He walked back to the oversized arm chair and sat down. He watched as Leah came over, sat on one of the arms and crossed her legs. He reached up and rubbed his hand up and down her back.

 _Oh good lord, I wish we were alone right now. I want to run my hands over her thighs and right up that dress!_ Embry thought.

They all sat there in the living room for what felt like hours. They were just four friends having a good time. Leah played a game against Quil, who lost, and then played a game against Jacob, who won. Embry played against Jake and lost. Jake threw his hands in the air and claimed to be Gamer Champion. Everyone laughed.

The whole time Embry kept his eyes on Leah. She mesmerized him. He was in love with everything about her. Her almond shaped eyes, her smile, the sound of her voice, the way she laughed, and more.

Leah stood and stretched her arms. "I'll be right back." She said casually as she started down the hallway towards the restroom.

Embry watched her go. He eyed the way her butt moved under the soft fabric of her dress. Just as she reached the restroom she looked back at him and their eyes met. She smiled at him before going in and quietly shutting the door. Something in the way she looked at him told him to follow her. Embry quickly grabbed the remote and turned the volume of the TV up a couple notches.

"Be right back." He mumbled as he walked down the hall.

When he reached the restroom door he knocked lightly. The door opened almost immediately with Leah standing there smiling at him. Without a word Embry entered the restroom with her and shut the door as quietly as possible. He put his arms around her and pushed her against the sink as they began making out. She gently sucked his bottom lip which made him moan softly. He kissed her along her jawline, down her neck, and across her collar bone. Their breathing accelerated.

"Do you know that you are just asking for it by wearing this dress?" He growled into her neck.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She panted.

Embry ran his hand up the back of her thigh and to her ass under the dress. He squeezed her butt cheek and she giggled quietly. He slid his hand around to her front and felt the warmth and wetness through her lace panties. He grinded his pelvis against her leg as he rubbed her over the panties. She breathed heavily as her head lolled to one side. He continued kissing and sucking on her neck as he rubbed her down there.

 _Fuck! She's so fucking hot!_ He thought.

After a couple minutes, he couldn't take it. He hooked his fingers into her panties and pushed the material to one side. He leaned back slightly to watch her reaction as he used three fingers to rub her clit. She sighed with pleasure, closed her eyes, and bit her lip. She began to grid herself against his fingers and her hands tightened their grip on his shoulders. Slowly, Embry pushed two of his fingers inside of her. She gasped and smiled seductively as he began sliding them in and out of her. He moved his hand faster and she grinded her hips with the flow of his movements. Soon he could feel her tightening around his fingers.

"Come on, baby. I wanna feel you cum." He whispered hoarsely into her ear.

His hand moved faster and her breathing was shallow. Suddenly he felt her tighten up then pulse around his fingers. Her juices covered his hand and her body went rigid so he held her tighter with his free hand. He captured her mouth with his to keep her from screaming out. Embry removed his fingers from her and hugged her close for a few moments. When their breathing returned to normal they looked each other in the eyes.

"That was the most beautiful and sexy thing I've ever witnessed." He told her in a low voice.

Leah smiled shyly and replied, "Well, you did such a great job."

Embry let out a laugh and kissed her. He quickly cleaned his hand and left her to fix herself up. When he reached the living room he found it abandoned. On the coffee table was a note with Jacob's handwriting on it. It read:

'We know you two are making-out in the bathroom, so we decided to leave. I'll be back later tonight. See ya. –Jake'

"Where did everybody go?" Leah asked as she entered the room.

"We've been caught." Embry said amusingly and showed her Jake's letter.

He watched her as she silently read the letter. Her cheeks turned pink with slight embarrassment, yet she gave him a small smile as she crumpled up the letter. Embry just couldn't believe his luck. _She's so beautiful. So perfect._

"Would you like to watch a movie?" He asked her after a moment of silence. "I have plenty of food here to snack on."

"Actually," She started with uncertainty. "I have to be at work early to receive an order. I should go home and get to bed soon."

"I'll drive you to work." He offered quickly. "I'll pick you up too. I only work a short shift tomorrow, so it's no problem."

A smile slowly spread across her lovely face. "What about a change of clothes then?"

Embry rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll stop by your house, pick up a change of clothes, and on the way back here we will stop at the DVD rental place."

"Okay." She agreed.

Joy filled Embry at her acceptance to stay with him tonight. He knew that he would sleep so much better with her in his arms. _If only this could be a permanent arrangement,_ he thought as he helped her into her jacket.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Leah yawned and stretched her arms above her head. It had been a long day. After Embry had dropped her off in the morning she had been constantly busy. Two large boxes of books came in, there was one last shelf to put together, e-mails to respond to, and much more. She checked the time on her phone and saw that she had just one hour until Embry would be back to pick her up.

As Leah stared at her phone, a text message popped up on the screen. It was from Emily.

'Hey, lady! Where have you been lately? I miss you.'

Leah quickly responded that she had just been busy with her new store. She pressed the send button and immediately felt bad for not telling her cousin the whole truth. She truly did want to have a closer relationship with her cousin, but in all honesty Leah was still getting used to being an imprint. She didn't want to Emily to make a big deal of it and she sure as hell did not want to see the look of relief on Sam's face when he finds out. No, Leah was enjoying keeping her relationship from Sam, Emily, and the elders for now.

Another message from Emily came in. 'Aww, okay. When is your next day off? We should hang out.'

'I close up early on Sundays. How about 6:30pm this Sunday?' Leah offered.

'Sounds good!'

Leah shoved her phone in her back pocket and began to clean up. She did a quick vacuum job, dusted the shelves and front counter, and checked to make sure there were not any books on the floor or in the wrong place. As she set some teen romance novel back in its place she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. It was another text.

'I can't stop thinking about those yoga positions you did this morning.'

Leah let out a laugh at Embry's text.

'I don't know what you are talking about.' She texted back, faking cluelessness.

'Yeah right! I think you did certain positions just to get to me.'

She laughed out loud again. 'Well I guessed it worked then.'

'Yes. I have had an image of your ass as you are bent over in my mind all day.'

'Good.'

'I'm on my way to pick you up.'

'I'll be waiting.'

She smiled to herself and continued working. She and Embry had not yet actually had sex yet, but they had messed around plenty. She did not want to rush into that part yet and Embry had been very respectful of that so far. He would never do anything she didn't want. When she stayed the night with him he had simply held her close to him the whole night. She ended up getting over heated from his too warm skin and had to kick off the blankets.

A little while later Leah locked up and stood in the little parking lot in front of her store. Embry showed up right on time. He kissed her when she got into the car. His kiss was filled with love and lust as he trailed kisses down her cheek and stopped at her neck. She held her breath and her heart rate picked up.

"How was your day?" He asked in a husky voice.

"Fine." She breathed.

"Good." He smiled at her as he leaned back into his seat, put the car in drive, and took off towards the reservation.

"So, I got a text from Emily today." Leah mentioned as she stared out the window.

"Oh yeah?" He asked. There was a hint of concern in his voice.

Embry had avoided patrols with Sam, Jared, and Paul since the day he had imprinted on Leah. It wasn't like he was ashamed of Leah, but he was afraid of the weirdness that would come between him and his alpha. Sam knew that Embry had had quite a few girlfriends over the last four years which had earned Embry the title of "Player" around the reservation. Even though Sam was not in love with Leah anymore, she would always be his first love and Embry knew he might get a bit protective. Embry wasn't ready to feel the wrath of Sam yet.

"Yeah. She wants to hang out, so I told her I would see her on Sunday. After work." Leah explained.

"Damn. Do I have to share you with Emily? I want to have all of your free time." He said as he took one of her hands and lightly stroked her knuckles with his thumb.

"Sharing is caring." She replied with a smile and roll of her eyes.

As they drove down one of the back roads on the reservation, Leah watched the sun set. It sent beautiful shades of oranges, pinks, and purples across the sky. It made the forest look mysterious and beautiful. Suddenly Leah realized where they were.

"Hey, we're close to the cliff where you guys used to dive off of. Pull over." She commanded.

He pulled over onto the shoulder and gave her a confused look. "Why are going there?"

"Oh just trust me." She said and got out of the car.

She and Embry walked the short trail to the cliffs. She was glad that she had worn jeans and boots today. The forest was still and quiet. She could hear the crunch of every leaf and twig she walked on. She had not realized until now how much she missed this forest.

"Look." She said as they stepped out onto the cliff edge. She pointed at the sun set.

"Woah. It's pretty." Embry said as he stared at the sky.

They stood there for a few minutes without saying a word. Embry wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his head on hers.

"The sunset is even prettier with you standing in front of it." He whispered.

Leah turned around so she was facing him. She placed her hands on either side of his upper neck and smiled up at him. He leaned down and kissed her once.

"I want to tell you something." He began. She stayed quiet and waited for him to continue. "I realize it might be too soon for you, but I want you to know how I feel. I love you. I love you more than my own life."

Leah did not respond. Her heart felt like it might explode from happiness. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back down to her. She kissed him deeply. He caressed her back with his fingertips, sending tingles up her spine. She knew her feelings for him were the same, but she was afraid to say the words. The last man she had said those words to had ended up betraying her. Even though she knew that Embry wouldn't and couldn't hurt her in the same way, she still wasn't ready to say the word "love" out loud.

"Come on." He whispered to her. "I need to get you home so you can get some sleep."

She still didn't respond, but held his hand tightly as he led her back down the trail to the car. She wished she could ask him to stay with her tonight. She slept better with him there. But, she knew they both had work in the morning. Leah would very much like to put life on pause so she could be alone with him for as long as she wanted.

Two hours after being dropped off by Embry, Leah had finally found her focus. She showered and changed into a pair of night shorts and oversized t-shirt. She went into her kitchen to grab a glass of water. As she leaned against the counter the doorbell rang.

 _Who the hell is at my door at this time of night?_ Leah thought in annoyance as she walked over to the door.

When she opened it her annoyance only intensified. Sam Uley was standing on her front porch. He looked more pissed off than she could ever remember seeing him. His fists were clenched at his sides and she could tell he was trying to not phase.

"What do you want, Sam?" She asked harshly.

"I think you know why I'm here." He growled.

"No, I honestly don't-" She started but he cut her off.

"I saw you and Embry!" He yelled. "I saw you two in the forest earlier!"

Leah's mouth dropped open in surprise. _Oh shit!,_ she thought. He had finally caught them. She quickly regained control of her shock. She opened the door a little wider, turned, and walked back to her kitchen. Sam took the wordless invite and entered her house. He slammed the door behind him. Her heart was racing. What the hell was she going to say? _Can't say anything but the truth now,_ she thought as she went back to leaning against the kitchen counter.

"What the HELL are you doing with him?" Sam demanded as he followed her to the kitchen.

"Maybe you should be asking him." Leah suggested in annoyance.

"No, I'm asking you. Why would you do this to yourself?!"

"What?"

"First off, he's a player! He goes from girl to girl and doesn't care about hurting them. And also, how about the most obvious thing here? He is a wolf. He will imprint! Why would you knowingly put yourself in a position where you will get hurt again?!"

She stood there in shock. How dare he come here and yell at her about who she dates? He raked his fingers through his short hair in frustration.

"Why do you even care about who I date? You have Emily and son now!" She spat at him.

His angry eyes softened a bit. "Just because I fell in love with Emily doesn't mean I stopped caring about your welfare."

"Really?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. When you left the pack. When you left Forks four years ago, there was an emptiness among us. Emily felt it too. She missed you. Jake missed you. We all missed you whether those idiots see it or not."

"I didn't realize anybody actually cared." Leah felt bad now.

"We care. We were happy to hear that you were happier. We were happy to hear that you were coming home too."

They stared at each other for a few moments. All the anger eased up. Leah now felt bad for hiding everything from Sam and Emily. They both cared about her.

"So," He began again. "Why are you putting yourself in such a bad situation?"

"It's not what you think. I'm Embry's imprint." She admitted.

Sam stared at her in confusion. "What? How? That doesn't make any sense."

"I stopped phasing a few years back, after I got to California. That means I am a regular woman again." Leah explained in defeat. "Apparently, Embry imprinted on me at my welcome home party."

"Really?" He asked in shock.

"I'm not stupid!" She was doing her best to hold back tears. "I wouldn't be with any guy from the pack if I were not his imprint. I don't enjoy looking and feeling like a pathetic fool."

Sam stared at her for another moment before looking away. He looked as if everything had finally made sense and Leah actually felt relieved to just tell the truth. Suddenly they heard a car come to a screeching halt outside the house. Leah looked in the direction of the door in concern.

"Well," Sam said calmly. "If Embry really is your imprint, then that will be him."

"What?" She asked in confusion.

Seconds later the front door slammed open. It was Embry. He stared from Leah to Sam as anger erupted on his face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Embry demanded of Sam. "Are you harassing her?"

Embry had started towards Sam as if he were going to attack him. Leah bolted over to him before he could get too close.

"Wait, Embry, its okay. He knows." Leah said quickly.

She placed a hand on his chest to stop him. It worked, but she could feel that he was shaking with anger. He could phase at any moment. She leaned in closer to him.

"He saw us in the forest today. I told him everything." She whispered to Embry. "I told him that you and I belong together."

Embry looked her in the eyes and took a deep breath. He nodded to let her know he was okay and looked back at Sam who was standing in the middle of the kitchen with his hands half raised.

"I didn't know she was your imprint. I came here to confront her, but she set me straight." Sam told him. "You should have told me, Embry. Is this why you don't patrol with me anymore?"

"Yes." Embry answered in annoyance. "How could I tell you? With all your history with her? And everything you know about MY past?"

"I'm sorry I made you both feel that way." He said and Leah could tell that he really was sorry. "Look, we could talk more later. It's late."

"Yes, later." Leah hissed at him. "And don't tell Emily. I want to tell her myself on Sunday."

Sam nodded and quickly walked out of the house. Embry went over and slammed the door shut again. He was still pretty pissed. Leah went to him and took his hand in hers.

"It's okay." She said calmly.

He looked at her for a few seconds before wrapping her in a hug. He wasn't shaking anymore, but she could feel his heart beating faster than usual. She led him over to the side of the couch. She sat on the arm of the couch and looked him in the eyes.

"How did you know something was wrong?" She asked. "How did you know to come here?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, I always feel a pull towards you. But I was at home just watching TV when I suddenly felt the sharpest pull towards you than I've ever felt before. I knew something must be wrong. So I came here immediately."

"Wow." Leah whispered.

"When I saw him in here with you alone, I just got so mad." He admitted. He sounded almost ashamed. "I guess kind of jealous too."

"Oh, Embry." Leah sighed as she reached up and caressed his face. "There is no reason to be jealous."

He looked her in the eyes. "I just need to know that you are mine. You know I'm yours."

Leah reached up and pulled him down to her. She kissed him on the lips again and again. He wrapped one arm around her waist and rested his other hand on her thigh. She brought her lips to his ear and whispered:

"I am yours. I am in love with you."

He leaned back and looked at her in surprise. Suddenly he smiled the biggest smile she had ever seen him give her. Without another word they began kissing again. The kiss became deeper as their lust for each other just seemed to spill out. Leah fell back onto the couch and took Embry with her. She giggled as she scooted herself up so they could lay together. Embry kissed her neck and collar bone with a hunger. Her breathing came heavier as her nether regions became warm and wet. She wrapped her legs around his waist which made him automatically buck his hips against her. She gasped when she felt the hardness in his jeans and moaned as he sucked on her neck. She ran her hands over his muscular arms and back. She wanted him. Now!

"Let's go to my room!" She gasped.

Embry pulled away and looked down at her. "Really? You're sure?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes, now!" She said in a hurry.

Embry pushed himself off of her quickly. Just as she was about to stand he leaned down and scooped her up in his arms. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. He bounded up the stairs quickly. In her room he quickly kicked off his shoes and set her on her bed.

"Don't just stand there. Sit here." She told him and patted the spot next to her.

Embry obeyed and sat next to her. He watched as she pulled off her own shirt. He already knew that she was braless, but his jaw still dropped when he saw her perfectly full breasts come free of her shirt. She smiled at him seductively and bit her lip as she reached over and pulled off his shirt too.

"Lay down." She instructed and he obeyed.

She straddled him and made a sound of pleasure when she felt his hardness through his jeans again. They began making out. She loved the feel of her bare breasts on his bare chest. His hot skin against her cool skin was amazing. It sent tingles all over. He grabbed her ass as his hips bucked up against her. If she didn't get him inside of her now, she felt like she would explode in sexual frustration.

"Embry, I want you right now." She panted.

He rolled her over so she was laying her back. Making sure to never break eye contact, Embry reached down and removed his jeans and boxers. Leah licked her lips as she watched his dick spring free. She had never seen anything so hot in her life. Next Embry hooked his fingers in the waistband of her shorts and slowly pulled them off. He crawled back on top of her and kissed her a few times as he positioned himself at her wet, hot opening.

"I want to hear you say it again." He whispered to her. "Tell me that you are mine."

"Oh!" She moaned with need. "I'm yours, Embry. Only yours."

He moaned and pushed himself into her. She gasped in pleasure as he filled her. She wrapped her legs around him as he began pumping in and out of her. She gasped and shrieked in pleasure as his member hit all of the right places inside of her. He growled into her ear as he fucked her.

"I. Love. You!" He told her with each pump into her. "You. Are. Mine!"

"Ahhh! Yes!" She screamed.

All her senses were in overload. Her muscles down there clenched around his dick. Her fingernails dug into his back and he bit into her shoulder as he pushed himself into her faster and harder.

"Ahhh!" She screamed out as she came.

"Aarrrgghhh!" He growled as he came with her.

While he came inside of her, Leah knew in the back of her mind that this was some kind of animal instinct for him. He really was claiming her as his forever and she was completely happy about it. She knew that he was it for her. Leah would happily spend the rest of her life with Embry.

Embry collapsed on top of her. Both were so out of breath that they couldn't speak for a long time. Finally he slowly pulled himself out of her and laid on the bed next to her. She smiled at him and he planted a light kiss on her shoulder.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." He whispered back.

"I know we both have work tomorrow, but will you stay the night anyway?"

"Of course I'll stay, sweetheart."

Embry grabbed the quilt at the end of her bed and covered them both with it. Leah reached up and turned off the bedside lamp. She cuddled into his side and he wrapped an arm around her. Sleep came quickly and she fell into a deep and relaxed sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Emily stared at her cousin in shock. Eyes wide and mouth open, Leah tried hard not to giggle at her expression. Leah had finally told her everything about her and Embry.

"Wow!" Emily finally said aloud. "I don't know what to say. This is so wonderful for you!"

"Yeah, I know." Leah sighed. "It's unexpected."

"I never even would have guessed!" Emily laughed, but sobered and added seriously, "I'm so happy for you, though. You deserve this."

"Thank you." Leah replied.

It had not been quite as uncomfortable as Leah had expected. They sat in Emily's living room and watched little Dakota play while they talked. It helped that stupid Sam wasn't around to listen in on their talk. Leah told her all about how it all started when Embry showed up at her house out of nowhere and that they had hung out as friends many times. She told Emily about the night of the party when she had tried to make a move on Embry and she thought he had rejected her and she finally realized what was going on after her talk with Jake. By the time she was done spilling her guts about her relationship, Leah was wearing the biggest smile. Her cheeks started to feel sore from smiling so much.

"Oh, I'm just so happy for you!" Emily gushed some more and hugged her cousin.

"Agh! You're going to choke me!" Leah joked, yet returned the hug.

"It's so funny how things work out, huh?" Emily asked in a calmer, more serious tone. "For so long I was afraid you would never speak to me again. Then you came back home and are so different. I was relieved that you forgave us. And now this!"

"Yeah." Leah agreed and nodded. "I don't regret leaving all those years ago, though. If I hadn't, then none of this would be happening for me."

Emily nodded in agreement. They sat there with the baby for a little while longer before Emily got up to make dinner. She begged Leah to stay and eat with her and Sam, but Leah politely declined. She had plans with her own wolf tonight. As she put on her jacket and gathered her things, Sam walked through the door. He hesitated at the door and gave her a look of apology and Leah knew it was for busting in on her the other night. She gave him a nod and said her good-byes to Emily and the baby.

When Leah arrived home she was pleasantly surprised to see Embry's car already parked out front. She had given him a key to her place not too long ago. As she walked in the door the smell of baked chicken hit her. She grinned as she removed her jacket. Embry walked out of the kitchen to meet her.

"Mmm, I do love to see my man cooking for me." Leah teased before kissing him.

"Hey chicken is not only quick, but it's incredibly easy to make. I'd burn anything else." He told her as he led her into the kitchen. "It's almost ready. How'd it go at Emily's? You okay?"

"Yes. It wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be."

"Good."

Leah sat at the kitchen table and watched him work. He nearly burned himself when he took the chicken out of the oven and then again when he took the rice off the stove. She bit her lip to keep from laughing. She loved it when it was just the two of them like this. Goofy and in love.

Minutes later Embry set down their plates and took his seat next to her. Leah took a hesitant bite and was pleasantly surprised that the food was edible. Embry rolled his eyes at her, but laughed with her.

"So hey, Jake wants us to go with him and Nessie on a hike this coming Friday." Embry mentioned casually.

"Uh, I don't know." Leah started uncertainly. "I don't really want to be around the vampires. I've worked so hard not to phase…"

"It'll only be the four of us. I guess Bella and Edward need time alone."

"Ew. Okay, fine." Leah agreed with a sigh.

They ate in silence for a few moments. Leah was in deep thought about taking hikes, book orders, and having to get the tire changed on her car when she suddenly felt a warm hand on her thigh. She pulled herself out of her thoughts and locked eyes with Embry. There was a fire behind his eyes that burned with an intensity Leah knew all too well. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned in and their lips met. They were made for each other. Her heart raced as he ran his lips lightly across her skin and stopped just under her ear. His hot breath sent tingles over her skin and straight down to her lower half. She shuttered and moaned.

"Come on." He whispered to her. "We can clean this up tomorrow."

She couldn't speak. Instead she silently took his hand and followed him up the stairs to her bedroom. His touch made her forget about the rest of the world. With him she faded in and out of reality, on the edge of paradise and she knew it was the same for him. Even when they were both sweaty and out of breath, and orgasms had been reached, she was still in paradise because she was in his arms.

"I love you. Goodnight, sweetheart." He whispered to her as she fell into a peaceful sleep.

Author's Note: Hello readers! I want to thank you for your kind comments and for favoriting/following my story. I used to dream about being a real writer. But this is very fun. So this was kind of an in-between chapter as I try to imagine and type out the final few chapters. Have a happy Halloween!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Embry discarded an oily rag onto one of the workbenches and leaned against it. He yawned and rubbed his face with the back of his hand. It had been a long and busy day at the garage. It had been a constant stream of vehicle after vehicle since he and the guys opened the garage at 9am. Right now, however, the end of the day was finally in sight and Embry couldn't wait to get a shower.

"Embry!" Jake called from across the room. "Come on, man. We're almost done. Just help me put this dash back together."

"Okay, just give me a sec." Embry replied.

He pulled out his phone and frowned. Leah had not responded to the text he sent almost two hours ago. He realized that she could be very busy at her store, but he had not been able to see her since Sunday night due to their busy work schedules. They had gotten by the last few days with texts and short phone calls. For whatever reason, however, the pull to Leah had been stronger today than normal and he was starting to worry. Embry sighed, shoved his phone back in his pocket, and returned to work.

A little while later when Embry handed the keys back to the owner of the car he and Jacob were working on, he heard a crash come from the office. Through the glass wall, Embry saw Seth standing stock still with the phone up to his ear. He had a look of fear on his face and a coffee mug lay smashed at his feet. Quil, Jake, and Embry gave each other concerned looks before all three started toward Seth. When they entered the office Seth hung up the phone. He was shaking pretty hard and looked like he could cry or possibly phase.

"Woah, Seth." Jake said in concern. "Calm down. What's going on?"

"I- I have to go." Seth blurted out as he made his way around the counter. "I have to get to the hospital."

"Why? What the hell is going on?" Jake asked again.

Seth stopped in tracks. He was still shaking when he looked directly at Embry and said, "Leah was in an accident."

The whole world seemed to become unbalanced. Embry grabbed ahold of the counter as he became light-headed. Did Seth really just say what he think he did? His whole body started shaking just like Seth's. The urge to phase and run all the way to the hospital was strong.

"Woah, woah!" Jake said to both Seth and Embry. "Don't phase here, there's still people around. Come on, I'll drive all of us to the hospital."

Embry, Seth, and Jacob ran out to Jacob's car. Quil agreed to stay and close up shop immediately. He would tell the rest of the pack and meet them at the hospital. Jake had the car started and was driving out of the parking lot before any of them could bother to put on their seat belts.

"Can't you drive any FASTER?!" Embry yelled in a panic.

"Yeah! Come on!" Seth demanded.

"Don't either of you phase in my car. I swear to god!" Jake threatened as he punched it. "We'll get there soon. Try to keep calm."

"Oh geeze, I knew something didn't feel right today!" Embry blurted out and pulled at his hair. "Something didn't feel right and I ignored it!"

"Why would you ignore that kind of feeling about my sister?!"Seth yelled at him from the back seat.

"I thought I was just missing her because I haven't seen her in a few days!" Embry yelled back as his eyes started to burn.

"Both of you just shut-up and try to keep calm!" Jake yelled at them both.

Jake drove as fast as his car would allow. Embry held on tightly to the arm rest on the door, but not from the winding road. He was trying to keep calm enough to stay in human form. Phasing and running would get him there faster than this car, but he would then have to wait for someone bring him clothes because he couldn't go running in there naked. The shaking just would not stop and his heart continued to race. Many questions ran through his mind; why and how did the accident happen? How badly hurt is she? Is she conscious or unconscious? He wouldn't let himself think of anything worse.

When they finally arrived at the hospital in Forks, Embry and Seth were out of the car before it was at a complete stop. They raced into the waiting area to the ER and found Sue and Charlie standing just inside the doors. Seth hugged his mother, who was crying, and asked what had happened.

"One of the tires on her car burst. It made her swerve into the next lane where a pick-up truck was driving in the opposite direction." She stopped and sobbed again.

Embry couldn't say a word. His throat felt like it was closing and he felt the burn in his eyes again.

"Is she going to be okay?" Seth asked her.

"I don't know, she won't wake up. She's got a broken leg, cuts all over, and a huge gash on her head. That's all I know."

When she finished explaining, she continued crying and put one arm around Charlie and one around Seth. Embry collapsed into the nearest chair. Tears rolled down his face. They all waited for what felt like forever. Eventually a doctor came out and took Sue into the ER without telling the rest of the group what was going on. Embry's anxiety spiked after that. Not too long after Sue was taken back, the whole pack showed up. Sam and Emily immediately started questioning Seth about what had happened, Jake and Charlie explained everything to the rest of the group, and Embry continued to sit with his head in his hands.

"Hey, man." Jake said as he sat next to Embry. "How are you holding up?"

"How do you think?" Embry snapped at him.

"She's going to be okay." Jake told him, though he didn't sound as confident as he usually did.

His heart hurt. It literally hurt. He wiped away a couple tears and took a shaky breath. Suddenly the doors to the ER opened and Sue came out. He stood and in a few strides he was standing right in front of her. Seth was right next to him and the rest of the group surrounded them. They all seemed to hold their breath as they waited for Sue to speak.

"The doctors say she will be okay. But she's still unconscious." She told them. "She just needs time."

Embry breathed a sigh of relief. The tightness in his chest loosened up a bit. He asked if he could see her, but was told he would have to wait so she can get some rest. Only family could go see her, but only for a short time. Sue took Seth and Charlie and went back into the ER. Embry paced for a few minutes before he eventually settled back into his chair in the waiting room.

 _Oh my god, I can't believe this. I should have checked out her car a week ago. She mentioned needing to get it serviced. Ugh! This was way too close a call. What would I do without her in my life? I wish I could see her._

Embry was in deep thought when he sensed that somebody had sat down in the chair next to him. He glanced over and found Sam there. He looked sad and concerned.

"Hey, bud." Sam started.

Embry looked at him and looked away. He didn't respond. He wasn't in a talking mood.

"I'm so sorry that Leah was hurt today. But we should all be thankful that she is alive." Sam continued when Embry stayed quiet. "Look around. We're all here for her. We're here for you both. There are friends here if she, or she and you, need anything."

Embry's lips pulled back into a small smile. He really appreciated Sam's words. He was glad there was no weirdness between all of them anymore.

"Thanks, Sam." Embry finally answered. "I'm glad all of you are here, but it looks like we won't be able to see her right now. You all should head home and I'll call if anything changes."

Sam nodded and stood up. He gathered up the group and told them all that there was nothing anybody can do at the moment and that they should all head home. Each one said their good-byes to Embry or patted him sadly on the back. He appreciated them all being there for Leah and he was sure she would feel the same.

"Do you want me to wait with you so you have a ride home?" Jake asked him.

"No. I think I'm going to wait a while longer then run home when I'm ready." Embry answered.

Embry sat in that waiting room for almost two hours after his friends left. He didn't really notice what was going on around him. All he could think of was her. He wanted and needed to see her so badly. He glanced towards the glass doors and saw that it was pitch black outside.

"Embry? You're still here."

Embry looked up and found Seth, Sue, and Charlie walking towards him. Sue's eyes were red from crying and Charlie kept an arm around her to comfort her. Seth looked worried, but at least he wasn't freaking out anymore.

"Yeah. How is she?" Embry asked them.

"She woke up for a moment, but the drugs they are giving her for the pain made her fall asleep again." Sue explained. "Embry, I'm sorry. They were only letting family back there and now visiting hours are over."

"I understand, Sue. Thanks for keeping me in the loop."

"Go home and try to get some sleep."

"I'll try."

Embry watched them go. He stood and stretched his arms out. He really didn't want to go home or sleep. Not when he hadn't been able to see her for himself. Just as he was about to slink out of the hospital he spotted Dr. Cullen standing at the front desk. He was talking to a nurse and handing her a clipboard. Suddenly Embry had an idea. He walked over to the vampire doctor and cleared his throat to let him know he was behind him.

"Hello, Embry." Dr. Cullen said without even turning around to see who was behind him.

"Hey, uh, Dr. Cullen. Long-time-no-see." Embry said awkwardly.

Dr. Cullen turned around to face him. He gave Embry a kind smile. "I heard about Leah. I'm so sorry she was hurt today. But it sounds like she will recover."

"Thanks. Hey, I was wondering if you could get me into the ER so I can see her." Embry asked in a hopeful voice.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm not her assigned doctor." Dr. Cullen started.

"Please? Aren't you the head doctor here? She's the most important thing in the world to me. What if I were Jake and that was Nessie or Bella in there right now? Please?" Embry begged.

"Alright. Hold on." The good Doctor finally gave in.

Embry waited while Dr. Cullen left to get more information on Leah. He returned quickly and motioned for Embry to follow. They walked into the ER together. It was surprisingly quiet for an ER. Bright fluorescent lights made the white walls seem even whiter. There were a few patients wandering the halls in hospital gowns and nurses chatting each other up next to the discharge counter. Dr. Cullen led Embry to a large elevator at the end of the hall and pressed to "up" button.

"Apparently, Leah has been moved out of the ER and into a private room upstairs." He explained as they entered the elevator.

When the doors opened again and they stepped into the upstairs hallway, Embry found that it felt even calmer up here than downstairs. The lights were dimmer and there were no patients wandering around. Dr. Cullen led him to a room not too far from the elevators and stopped outside the door.

"Here we are. If anybody gives you a hard time about being up here, just tell them to speak to me. I'll be here all night."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen." Embry told him seriously.

When he entered the room he took in a sharp breath. His heart ached at the sight of her. Leah laid on a tall hospital bed with a cast on her leg and gauze wrapped around her head. He could see spots of blood that had come through the bandaging. There were bruises and shallow cuts all over her beautiful arms. Embry took a chair that was next to the door and set it next to her bedside. He sat there and held her hand while he watched her sleep. He felt better now that he was with her.

"I love you, Leah." He whispered to her.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

 _Oh my god. My body and head hurt so much! What the hell happened? Why is my left hand so freakin' hot?!_

Leah opened her eyes. Everything was blurry so she blinked a few times. Finally things became clear. She found herself laying in a hospital bed. The monitor next her was quietly keeping track of her heart rate, the fluorescents above her buzzed, and the TV that was mounted on the wall was playing some soap opera on mute. Finally she turned her head and immediately understood why her hand was so hot. Embry was fast asleep. His head was laying on the edge of her bed and his hand was covering hers. Leah looked down at herself. Her leg was in a cast. She reached up with her free hand and felt bandages wrapped around her head. The memory of the accident came back to her.

After a moment she squeezed Embry's hand. "Embry. Wake up." She said calmly.

Embry jerked awake. He quickly looked up at Leah and rubbed his eyes. She smiled at him. He was cute sometimes.

"You're awake. Good." He said and sat up. He never let go of her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore." She answered simply and honestly.

"Do you remember what happened?" He asked in concern.

She nodded. "Yes. My damn car. How is the other driver?"

"I heard he's okay."

"Good. It's good thing I have good insurance, but my rates are gonna go up. Damn. The car is totaled, isn't it?"

"Yes, but don't worry about that. Just focus on healing." He said and rubbed her arm gently.

"Ugh." She rubbed her head. "What time is it?"

"Uh," Embry started and checked his cell phone. "7 am. Your mother and brother should be here soon."

"How long have you been here?"

"All night." He answered as a matter of fact.

Her eyes widened for a second, then she smiled. "You stayed with me all night? And they let you?"

"I got Dr. Cullen to sneak me up here when your doctor wouldn't let me."

She smiled again and squeezed his hand. He had broken hospital rules to be next to her hospital bed the entire night. Her heart swelled with emotion. She felt so lucky to have him. She hoped they would be together forever.

"I love you." She whispered with emotion.

His eyes widened. This was the first time she had said those words to him. He had said them plenty of times and she knew that he meant it, but never said it back because she wanted to be sure. But she was sure now. He proved to her again and again that he wanted her and only her, and now she was completely ready to fully love again.

"I love you too, beautiful." He said and leaned over to gently kiss her.

A short time later, Leah's mother, brother, and step-father showed up. Her mother cried and fussed over her until Leah demanded that she chill out. Her brother gave her a hug and Charlie did too. Leah's doctor (who was clearly annoyed that Embry had been here all night) took her to get one last scan and examination. By the end of the day she was cleared to go home. Sue and Leah departed in Sue's car while Charlie, Embry, and Seth followed in Charlie's police cruiser.

Back at home on the reservation, Charlie and Embry got Leah situated on the couch in the living room. Her mother brought her a pillow and blanket and sat with her for a while. Eventually the pack showed up. Emily and Sam arrived first. Emily cried and hugged Leah over and over. Leah laughed, rolled her eyes, and told her cousin that she was going to be fine. Embry quietly sat on the arm of the couch, next to Leah, the whole time. She realized that he had never left her side unless really necessary and she loved that.

"Honey, are you sure you don't want me to stay with you tonight?" Sue asked Leah for the third time.

Leah laughed and grabbed her mother's hand. "Mom, it's so late. You need to sleep too. Besides, I have a pretty good care taker right here." She added and with her other hand she grabbed Embry's hand.

"Okay." Her mother sighed and looked at Embry. "You take good care of her. Got it? I'll be back tomorrow."

"I promise I will take great care of her." Embry told her.

Embry followed everybody to the door and locked it when they had all gone. He and Leah sat together for a while and watched TV until she was so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open. She smiled tiredly when Embry picked her up and carried her upstairs to her room. He made sure to put a pillow under her injured leg and covered her with fresh blankets. He kissed her and stood to leave.

"Wait." She said and grabbed his arm. "Stay with me. Here…" She scooted herself over and patted the bed.

"Uh, are you sure? I don't want to hurt you." He said with uncertainty.

She rolled her eyes at him. "If you roll over on me tonight I will kick you to the couch, but for now please just lay down."

Embry laughed and removed his shoes and jeans. He turned off the light before gently climbing into bed next to her. He laid on his side, facing her. She turned her head toward him. She could just barely see his features through the darkness. Without a word, she reached up with one hand and caressed his cheek.

"I love you." She whispered to him. "More than anything."

He took her hand and pressed it to his face. "I love you too, baby." He whispered back.

 _ **Hello, readers! I know this was a short ending, but I hope it was satisfying enough for now. I'm actually beginning to work on a much better and longer version. So keep an eye out for that. I have exams coming up, so it may not be until Christmas time that you see anything from my new story. Thank you all for reading.**_


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